Mr. Grifter

[luvaneezer]

Yes - that is his name :-) He is our seven month old Border Collie, who sat still long enough for me to attempt a portrait.
Critique and comments actively requested and very much appreciated.

Grifter-1 by luvaneezer, on Flickr

[Shadowman]

Nice degree of sharpness, a bit of lost detail in the white of the muzzle, flowers in the background distract from such a handsome portrait.

[Mike Buckley]

The interesting angle of the dog's head and its position relative to the camera makes this a much more interesting dog photo than so many because it reveals his personality.

A few suggestions easy to implement depending on your post-processing skills:

• Darken and/or desaturate the distracting tones in the background
• Bring out more detail in the white areas of the face using a reverse S-curve and/or Local Contrast Enhancement
• Add a vignette

[bnnrcn]

He looks lovely Diane I think there is a blue-green color cast on the left part of his body. It can easily be fixed with PP.

[AlwaysOnAuto]

Congrats on getting a 7 month old to hold still that long!

[ashcroft]

He is very handsome - but I guess he knows that! But I really think he should be over here, where we have lots of sheep!

Agree with various comments made above. Also, you have several catch-lights in the eyes - it would be better just to have one in each eye. I like the way the image 'pops' - it's very vibrant.

[luvaneezer]

Nice degree of sharpness, a bit of lost detail in the white of the muzzle, flowers in the background distract from such a handsome portrait.

Thanks, John, for those comments. I will make those changes.

[luvaneezer]

The interesting angle of the dog's head and its position relative to the camera makes this a much more interesting dog photo than so many because it reveals his personality.

A few suggestions easy to implement depending on your post-processing skills:

• Darken and/or desaturate the distracting tones in the background
• Bring out more detail in the white areas of the face using a reverse S-curve and/or Local Contrast Enhancement
• Add a vignette

Thanks, Mike. I really did like his head angle - and yes, that does reveal much about his personality :-)
I will make those changes to the best of my ability in LR. I'm not sure what a reverse S-curve is but will find out.
And, I will add a vignette.
I really appreciate your detailed suggestions!

[luvaneezer]

He looks lovely Diane I think there is a blue-green color cast on the left part of his body. It can easily be fixed with PP.

Binnur - I will fuss with that in LR. Do you think it is overall temp/tint issue - or more localized?

[luvaneezer]

Congrats on getting a 7 month old to hold still that long!

Haha - Alan - you know dogs :-) It was kind of like a miracle :-) We are working on his stationary behavior - and he is doing very well for a 7 month old.

[luvaneezer]

He is very handsome - but I guess he knows that! But I really think he should be over here, where we have lots of sheep!

Agree with various comments made above. Also, you have several catch-lights in the eyes - it would be better just to have one in each eye. I like the way the image 'pops' - it's very vibrant.

Rob - catch-lights is a new phrase for me. I will see what adjustments I can make there. Thank you so much for your comments - and in particular for commenting on what works well in the photo - very helpful so I can incorporate into future shots.

[Mike Buckley]

I will make those changes to the best of my ability in LR. I'm not sure what a reverse S-curve is but will find out.

If you're familiar with the shape of a traditional S-curve (lower on the left side and higher on the right side), the reverse S-curve is exactly its reverse (higher on the left side and lower on the right side). However, I suggested applying it only to part of the image and it's not possible to do that using LR; LR applies the curve only to the entire image. I don't know if it's possible to achieve a similar look using the sliders that can be applied to only part of the image.

[luvaneezer]

If you're familiar with the shape of a traditional S-curve (lower on the left side and higher on the right side), the reverse S-curve is exactly its reverse (higher on the left side and lower on the right side). However, I suggested applying it only to part of the image and it's not possible to do that using LR; LR applies the curve only to the entire image. I don't know if it's possible to achieve a similar look using the sliders that can be applied to only part of the image.

I will experiment with that in LR tonight and see what I can achieve. Thanks, Mike.

[bnnrcn]

It looks partial Diane, only on the left part of the body

Binnur - I will fuss with that in LR. Do you think it is overall temp/tint issue - or more localized?

[luvaneezer]

It looks partial Diane, only on the left part of the body

Binnur - don't know how I could have missed it - I just looked and it is clear as day :-) Thanks!

[luvaneezer]

Here are my attempts at making the suggested changes. I have very limited skills in LR and am looking forward to learning more.

I didn't seem to be able to figure out a way to do much more with the muzzle. And, I wasn't sure whether to leave some color in on the right - looked really dull without though.

Thoughts about (1) whether I made the suggested changes appropriately? and (2) did I mess up anything else along the way?

I really appreciate everyone's generous help!

Grifter-2 by luvaneezer, on Flickr

[ST1]

Well done Diane your revised processing works well.

[IzzieK]

Yes, I love the edit very much....much better...

[Mike Buckley]

Nice work for someone who is just beginning to learn how to do this stuff. At this stage of your learning curve, it's as much or more about developing a sense of your own taste for how you want your photographs to look as it is learning how to do the post-processing.

[luvaneezer]

Well done Diane your revised processing works well.

Thank you, Peter.