Eeeek...let's try an animal this time! :)

[poppetme]

Ok...so I posted my very first pic a couple of days ago in the "People - Critique" and was really happy with the loveliness of the people on this site! I was so reluctant to post as a "newbie" at first and waited for a while before plucking up the courage. However, as I said...the feedback really helped and I got lots of useful info, tips and advice for the posters so I thought I'd try another one...but this time in colour and a different subject!

Here is the EXIF info...(I know I probably do not need to say that....typical little "new person" intro to the data!)

Camera: Canon EOS 550D
Exposure 0.013 sec (1/80)
Aperture f/5.6
Focal Length 55 mm
ISO Speed 2000
Exposure Bias 0 EV
Flash No Flash

And here is the pic:



Molly...my parent's dog.

I would love some help with a few things.

1) Better in colour than B&W?
2) Is the focus in the right place? I keep hearing about people not getting the focus on the eye...what does this mean?
3) Is the little wooden duck in the basket distracting? Or is it more the red toy thing on the left? Or are they fine?
4) Is the composition ok?
5) Does it look like a regular picture of a dog on a sofa taken with a standard camera...or has it done a little bit more.

Oh my...I've rambled on. (This is something you may have to get used to!)

Poppet x

[Gulf Coast Girl]

Ahhhh what a cutie!!!

I think the colors in the couch are very complimentary to the pooch. The wooden duck and red thingy next to it does distract, but just a tiny bit. I think you'd lose too much of the couch (and tip of dog paw) if you tried to crop them out.... so unless you can clone them out with software I wouldn't worry about it.

I'm just a beginner myself but I think this is a very nice capture

[poppetme]

In light of what you said, I've slightly cropped the red out...trying to not cut the paw off, so I had to leave the duck in.

I also slightly adjusted the colour...just as an alternative. I'm playing around with different tints/saturation levels/contrast and exposure...just trying to see if I "feel" any difference.

I think I like the second one better. What do you think?



Poppet x

[sk66]

OK, I'm going to be harsh; I'll try to be kind while I'm at it....

Overall, the picture is a "snapshot",,,you have to know the dog/love the dog/love dogs in general to get anything from it.....

The negatives...the pose/action and lighting...
Ass first in that pose it kind of depicts a somewhat decrepit dog...The lighting throws one eye into shadow causing almost an impression of a "blind eye"..He looks like you interrupted his nap.

The positives....the focus is very good, it is on the clear eye. The DOF i also very good, the background is sufficiently OOF to not be a distraction.
And the repost is not "an alternative"..you have (mostly)properly adjusted the color balance for a correct exposure (the original is quite "off")

Note that there are as many, or more, positives than negatives so you are off to a decent start.

[JFSanders]

You have lost the highlights under the chin. This will tell you that it is slightly overexposed. Better to lose shadow detail than highlight detail. Get closer and this would benefit greatly from a different angle, more to your left and some sort of diffuser to soften the light or a reflector to bring out the right side of the face some. Nice pooch. Try opening your f/stop so that the background falls out of focus sooner. But I think a change in shooting angle would be better. Jim

[karen_s]

Originally Posted by poppetme

1) Better in colour than B&W?
2) Is the focus in the right place? I keep hearing about people not getting the focus on the eye...what does this mean?
3) Is the little wooden duck in the basket distracting? Or is it more the red toy thing on the left? Or are they fine?
4) Is the composition ok?
5) Does it look like a regular picture of a dog on a sofa taken with a standard camera...or has it done a little bit more.

1. Would probably work in either, but both would warrant a little dodging (lightening) overall and a bit on his cute little face.

2. Focus looks pretty good to me. (My thoughts on the the whole eye thing is that we as humans tend to make eye contact while communicating, and we often do that first when meeting and talking with people. It for some reason carries over into how we view photographs, we just like to look into peoples and critters eyes.)

3. Not to me. I honestly didn't notice them until you mentioned them. I will say though, if you take a another shot in this same place, maybe just move them out of the way. I'm always moving stuff out of the background and rearranging furniture for indoor shots.

4. Composition is pretty good. I do agree about the back side being a bit prominent so you can keep that in mind next time. I would consider straightening the image though. The vertical lines are angled and not sure you meant to do it. Some people like the tilt style though so it's not really wrong.

5. To me, it's better than a snapshot but it's not a pro looking shot either. I think it falls somewhere in between. I think it a bit better than average for sure. What works for me is the focus on the eyes, the eye contact, and the colors (he looks good on that chair.) What pulls it back towards snapshot is the angle (prominent backside), that bit of clutter on the left, the vertical tilt (for me anyway), and the lack of light on his face.

Overall though, pretty darn good shot for a newbie.

[poppetme]

sk66: Please be harsh...and don't feel the need to soften it. I can handle it!

I agree...it is more of a snapshot. After your comment, I went and had a little look around the web at photographs of dogs and I totally get the 'arse' to camera. That really did make me giggle! I didn't really see it at first...

Get the point about the shadow/blind eye...must remember that for next time. And yes...the colour in the second one is closer to the original.

Thank you for your help...I'm certainly feeling much better for the advice.

JF Sanders: Hello again. Right...I think the penny has dropped. Overexposure...wasn't too sure I was seeing what this was before. I see exactly now. Thank you. Will keep an eye on this editing.

karen_s: Oooh! Thank you for the detailed answers. And yes...I think I must hold my camera at an angle...I have a similar thing with a pic I posted over on People Critique. And I don't seem to even notice it until someone points it out. I will certainly be looking out for those lines in my pictures from now on.

Again, big smiles. I'm learning everyday. x

Poppet x

[Janet Coelho]

I'm a newbie myself but for what it's worth ... I would crop this to portrait style, chop out the duck completely even tho it means losing a paw, and chop off most of the body on the right from the black patch. Then lighten the RHS of the face, and photoshop in a catch light to the right eye. Jx