Dog Running with Twig

[scootermcq]

I was looking for some ideas on how to make this picture "pop" a little more. I realize it would be nicer in a field of grass vs mud, but I kinda got to work with what I have. Given the setting are on the less than optimal side, does anyone have any suggestions on what I could do to make this better, either in PP or next time? This picture is totally untouched right now.

Camera: Nikon D60
Exposure: 0.003 sec (1/320)
Aperture: f/5.0
Focal Length: 112 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Exposure Bias: 0 EV

[kirbinster]

Well you might try to brighten up the eyes to let us see them. I guess you could also select the dog and the "twig" and paste them on a field of grass.

[karen_s]

First, wonderful shot. I can see the joy in finding the biggest stick ever :-) And you did a great job of bringing focus to the dog by finding a wonderfully uncluttered background.

For suggestions on PP, I think the work needed is minimal. A slight level adjustment in upping the lights would help. Bringing up the blacks might also help a bit in bringing out the color of the dog. (Not too much though as you don't want to lose the eyes.) You then might add a very small saturation boost to make the dog more colorful than his/her surroundings. The background should stay rather neutral but the dog should start to pop.

I've probably shot 1000 pics of my dog running with a stick and have only a handful of decent ones. It's tougher than it looks! Anyway, I have found thru those 1000 shots, the ones I liked best were shot at eye level. It's hard on the knees but the result is well worth it. You might give that a try on your next big stick hunt :-) (I also prefer the muddy spots to the grassy fields. I seem to get less contrast on grass.)

Thanks for the smile,

Karen

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Flickr

[scootermcq]

Originally Posted by karen_s

For suggestions on PP, I think the work needed is minimal. A slight level adjustment in upping the lights would help. Bringing up the blacks might also help a bit in bringing out the color of the dog. (Not too much though as you don't want to lose the eyes.) You then might add a very small saturation boost to make the dog more colorful than his/her surroundings. The background should stay rather neutral but the dog should start to pop.

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Flickr

Thanks for the feedback and tips. I gave that a shot, and it does bring out the dog. I don't know if this is breaking the rules attaching this, and if I am, the mods can feel free to delete the picture.

I will have to try going down to his level in the future.

[imdaMANimal]

That is one awesome twig.

[RLucas]

The edit looks great! You brought out the eyes with minimal effect on the image. I also happen to like the mud. The environment is a big part of what makes this shot really good to me!

[scootermcq]

Thanks guys