Purely by accident

[like-I-see-it]

This is a very accidental shot of our neighbor's dog.
I was trying to focus on a really weird bug, when Zeus came bouncing in the yard for his treat, back rub and tummy tickle.
While I tried to push his head away from the lens, I accidentally hit the shutter. Didn't expect much, but it turned out better than I expected.
The thing that bugs me is part of my hand showing. I cropped some of the grass on the right and used a slight post-crop vignetting in lightroom.
I tried content-aware in PS5, but it didn't work out very well, so I left well enough alone.
Oh, in the meantime, the bug got away....


Kodak Z8612 IS
Shutter 1/320
f/2.8
ISO 64
No Flash

[BigFuzzy]

So what's your question for critique?? Pls read the Critique section FAQ.

[like-I-see-it]

How would you go about making my hand less visible?

[Laurenbiz]

To make it less noticeable, you'd have to crop out the left side of the photo that has the hand.

[like-I-see-it]

I tried that, but it really ruins the rest of the picture

[Sterling]

I'd suggest reshooting the dog on purpose rather than trying to save this accident.

[Laurenbiz]

I second what Sterling said.

[like-I-see-it]

Yes, that would be a solution if I can get him to sit still....He's only 1 1/2 yrs old and very active and playful.
His owner liked this 'accident' so much he wants a print, and he doesn't even mind my hand. It's just me being picky about it.

[Laurenbiz]

With active subjects, I always set my camera on the 'Continuous Shooting Mode' when pressing my shutter. That way, I just keep my finger on the shutter button, and it snaps, snaps, snaps until I let go.

I do this with birds, and I did this when I photographed puppies. I get about 50 icky photos, but then a handful come out nicely. This has worked for me with subjects that are busy moving!

[Sterling]

Why does he have to sit still? He wasn't sitting still on this shot and the owner seems to like it. Imagine if you actually put some effort into getting a good shot.