Just a dog....critique requested

[cosine4]

Learning with my new Nikon D5000. This was an impromptu shoot, the kids were sledding so I grabbed my camera and went outside without any planning. Anything that may improve my shots please feel free to let me know. Thanks!

[Christi V]

cute dog! what breed? I personally would have taken more of a headshot instead of cutting him off half way in the picture....
I am not expert but thats just what i would have done... still a nice photo

[Devinmonas]

You can get some really great dog shots by getting down low and shooting at their eye level.

[cosine4]

He is a Labradoodle, hybrid Labrador and Poodle. He is my mom's dog, very interesting dog with a very unique personality.

Thanks for the tips, I did get some other compositions none at his level because there was a lot of snow on the ground and I didn't feel like kneeling.

[Sterling]

Originally Posted by Devinmonas

You can get some really great dog shots by getting down low and shooting at their eye level.

That is the best advice. You will rarely get an interesting shot of a pet dog shooting from eye level as it stands beside you. IMO, that's is a classic difference between a photograph and a snapshot.

[karen_s]

I would totally agree with the eye level tip. I sometimes even lay flat on the ground to get below eye level, makes my boy look bigger than life :-) As far as wet knees from kneeling, a decent pair of rain or snow pants will do the trick.

Also for this kind of shot, you might try some exposure compensation. Cameras are often fooled by all white scenes (ie. white snow, white dog) and tend to see them as medium gray, resulting in underexposed images. I would start with a +1 and see if you beautiful dog turns a bit brighter. You may be familiar with technique, but if not, I would think your user manual or a fellow Nikon user could help you out. Oh, and remember to set it back when you are done :-)

Cute dog!

[suprspi]

Just some echo of previous tips. I'd get lower to get closer down to his perspective. I'd fill the frame with his head (more like a portrait of a person) which could be achieved with a crop of this shot - also a bit of straighten because of your perspective.

Exposure compensation, or a touch more exposure in an editing program such as Adobe Lightroom could do good things for this shot as well.

[joyjoy]

What a gorgeous dog. I agree with previous posts in getting down to dog's eye level and getting a beautiful portrait shot. Can't wait to see his eyes. Joy

[johnnygals]

Originally Posted by cosine4

He is a Labradoodle, hybrid Labrador and Poodle. He is my mom's dog, very interesting dog with a very unique personality.

Thanks for the tips, I did get some other compositions none at his level because there was a lot of snow on the ground and I didn't feel like kneeling.

You really don't need to kneel in order to get a shot at his level... I would just adjust the camera settings, take a shot, and when you are happy with the exposure and stuff, take the camera down to his level by extending your arm down, without looking at the viewfinder (you can use your thumb to press the shutter button).... you can always rotate and crop your image later...

Just a suggestion.

[cosine4]

Originally Posted by johnnygals

You really don't need to kneel in order to get a shot at his level... I would just adjust the camera settings, take a shot, and when you are happy with the exposure and stuff, take the camera down to his level by extending your arm down, without looking at the viewfinder (you can use your thumb to press the shutter button).... you can always rotate and crop your image later...

Just a suggestion.

Good point, thanks! With my Sony H9 I wouldn't have even thought not doing that actually because I always used the LCD and not the view finder. On the H9 the LCD swiveled and it was real easy to do this. With my Nikon D5000 I have forced myself to use the view finder from the beginning. The D5000 LCD swivels as well, just on different axises. I guess I just need get more used to my new camera more.