Chocolate Lab Portrait

[Weird Girl]

Trying out some new studio lights I got for xmas I wanted to know how the lighting is and also how you feel about my post processing. I sharpened the eyes, boosted the saturation a tad, and lightened the exposure- f11 probably wasn't the way to go so had to fix that post. Any other comments are welcome!!

Camera: Nikon D5000
Lens: 18-55mm
Aperture: f11
Shutter Speed: 1/125
Focal Length: 32mm
ISO: 200
Strobes fired (2 light system)

[Peach]

Ahh! Jealous! I'm dying for some good lights to get pictures of my brown dog (chocolate lab)! I love the crispness in the eyes.

One thing that DOES bug me though is his/her colouring is more black to me than chocolate. Not sure if that's just the way the dog is naturally or if it's a result of the saturation boost, etc.

[system2048]

nice shot, i love it :-) your dog's eyes are mesmerizing...

[cyber3d]

Well, first of all ......... your dog is ADORABLE!

I like the catch lights. Great work on the difficult black hair. Did you add a spray conditioner to make it shine? or was that all lights?

[karen_s]

Pretty nice. I like his look, a lot.

The only thing I might suggest is a little more light from below (maybe just a white reflector below to throw a hint of light up?) to get some separation of his lower jaw from his neck. That area is pretty filled in. (Depending on the original, you might be able to get just a bit from dodging that area.) My brain makes it up though 'cause it knows what it's supposed to look like so it is far from a photo killer.

As far as PP, he does seem to have a bit of a halo, especially around the left ear (his right one). Did you by chance dodge/lighten just his face? I'm curious as it just may be an optical illusion too or some effect of the vignette.

Overall though, great start with the lights.

[Weird Girl]

Wow so I just looked at this post on my ipad instead of my Mac laptop and realized that not only does HER collar look BLUE (it's purple), but saw how yes, she does look more BLACK! I had no idea I needed to calibrate my monitor- now I have to look up how to even do it on my Mac... Anyway, I did some adjusting (on the Mac still) to see how it shows up on the ipad and to see what you guys think now... Also, she is a pretty dark chocolate lab and actually her shine is natural- we bathe her in oatmeal shampoo and she just always shines! Must have great genes haha. I do see how a reflector would have been nice on her chest area! Thanks for the comments!!

[jmac1961]

The colors look great on my computer. I love the intensity in the eyes. Looks like portraits that I see at dog shows. Great job.

[Weird Girl]

Thank u so much! Does her collar look obviously purple to you or is it more blue? I still need to check how to calibrate a mac laptop... I hope i haven't discolored all of my photos because of it! I can't wait to take more!!!

[camerz]

lovely shot!

[Laura78]

Wowza! This is absolutely stunning! I would love to see a video demonstration of your process. You captured the Lab's "let's play" character perfectly.