portrait of my dog - please critique

[niccapo]

Metadata:
Camera: Nikon D90
Exposure: 0.05 sec (1/20)
Aperture: f/4.8
Focal Length: 48 mm
Exposure: 0.00
ISO Speed: 500
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: No Flash

Comments would be appreciated!
Do you like the B&W conversion (Lightroom)? Composition?

Thanks in advance.

[Barbara554]

I think your shot is good. Only thing I would change is the angle. Try to shoot more from the dog's level vs. a little overhead like this shot is. Good capture of your dog's face and expression though.

[zona5101]

Its a nice snapshot of your dog but for anybody but you it is probably not that interesting. The background door frame is probably hurting the image as it is one of the first things I noticed. We are missing a connection with the dog - as with people, we connect with eyes, the picture would be stonger if we had eye contact. Also It would be better to not shoot down at her but on her level. The b&w looks good. The focus on the face/nose is sharp.

[Chip]

Good looking dog!

To me, the background is too busy - the door mat, the door frame, etc. I have a dog, so I know how hard it is to get a good photo with an uncluttered background and with nice eye contact. But, with practice and persistence, you'll get there.

I agree with the above posts about getting down to the dog's level. At times, though, looking straight down at the dog, and having the dog looking right up at you, can work well too.

[kel_j_j]

I agree, a little less in the background and perhaps a different angle... I am a sucker for puppy dog eyes!! I do like the black and white too.

[niccapo]

Thanks for the comments! Going to try this photo at a different angle as soon as I get the chance (been really busy).

Originally Posted by kel_j_j

I agree, a little less in the background and perhaps a different angle... I am a sucker for puppy dog eyes!! I do like the black and white too.

About the b&w, it completely changed the picture from distracting and just like any other dog portrait to something interesting. Quick question - does different software produce different results for black & white? I used Lightroom to turn this photo b&w.

[Chip]

Originally Posted by niccapo

Quick question - does different software produce different results for black & white? I used Lightroom to turn this photo b&w.

Most definitely. There are many ways to convert to B&W, none of which will look exactly the same. I have to believe that Lightroom would give many options for conversion, many of which will let you pick the settings yourself. Experimenting is a good idea here.

Getting a good B&W conversion isn't that easy for me - I've still got a lot to learn about it.