My Dog, Shadow

[Laura_Aldridge]

I am new at this photography thing, and for some reason I feel as if my photos never look as sharp or vibrant as a lot of others I see. I'm most curious about what kind of advice y'all can give on composition and exposure for this picture of my dog, Shadow. Any and all constructive criticism is welcome. Thanks



Exif data
Exposure 0.033 sec (1/30)
Aperture f/2.8
Focal Length 20 mm
ISO Speed 160
Exposure Bias 0 EV
Flash No Flash

[karen_s]

I really like the composition. It works well in the squarish frame. You have some nice symmetry going on and wonderful focus on those soulful eyes. Nice catchlights too.

The image looks pretty sharp to me but it does however look a bit underexposed. I think all you really need is maybe a bump up of the exposure. I think some of the details and sharpness may begin to pop too. Do you have any post processing software to do this?

And just a note on sharpness, most lenses have sweet spots. I've found that every lens I own is sharper 2-3 stops above it's widest. I have a 17-55 2.8 but have found images to be a bit soft at it's widest aperture (2.8). I try to keep that lens above 5.6. You might consider narrowing your aperture a bit (bigger number) and offsetting it with a higher ISO, say 400ish. And 1/30th is a bit slow for any living, breathing subject. You did darn well with it but I'd shoot for 1/60th if you have enough light. 1/30th is not very forgiving when it comes to movement by you or your subject.

And I'll just end saying that Shadow looks like one sweet bestest friends.

[Laura_Aldridge]

Thank you for your feedback I just recently got my first DSLR and it is a LOT more complex than I imagined! Reading posts here has helped me tremendously, though I have a LONG way to go...

I do have post processing software. I use picnik, photoscape, and photoshop elements 3. I have to say, I like the simplicity of photoscape, so I use it most. I'll try bumping up the exposure, as you suggested, and see how that turns out.

I know what you mean with the shutter speed and "living, breathing subjects". I have been working on taking photos without using the flash, and it's been quite a bit of trial and error for me. I love photography though, and really enjoy learning all I can.

Thank you again for the feedback, hoping to get as much help as I can!