Ginger and Charcoal

[teokf]

This was shot with my handphone when I took them out for their morning walk. It was shot about three months ago when Charcoal was much younger.

[Manfred M]

Two lovely looking dogs.

A few thoughts for you Steven:

1. When shooting pets (and children), don't do it from your usual standing position. Rather crouch down so that you shoot them at eye level. That will generally result in a much stronger image; and

2. Watch out for distracting elements in the composition. The flowers are beautiful, but they do distract from your subjects, especially their faces. The flower that touches the black dog's tongue is especially distracting. Try to take care of that when you shoot, although if you know how, you can also fix it in post.

[DanK]

1. When shooting pets (and children), don't do it from your usual standing position. Rather crouch down so that you shoot them at eye level. That will generally result in a much stronger image;

I was about to write a more general version of the same advice. That is, when shooting an image of something that people can see walking by -- dogs, flowers, bugs, often even buildings -- look for a perspective that is different from what they would have. Otherwise, you are likely to end up with an image that looks like a snapshot that someone took while walking by -- even if the photo is technically well done. I do a lot of flower macros, and that is one of the main difficulties of that genre. I have to find some viewpoint that is different. (I don't always succeed.)

With respect to the flowers in this shot, I think there are really two choices. One is the option Manfred described: keep them out of the photo so that they don't distract from the dogs. The second is to find a way to make them an interesting part of the composition. That might be the case, for example, if thy were peering through the flowers, or if the flowers formed a frame all the way around them.

[Shadowman]

Nice shot.

[rpcrowe]

This is an image of two really good looking dogs which, I am sure, will bring back wonderful memories when viewed at later dates...

However when viewed from a photographic standpoint, I agree with the comments from above regarding camera height when photographing animals in that it is best to shoot them from as close to their eye level as possible. This is true with virtually all animals...

Regarding the flowers... IMO a tighter crop might reduce the competition between flowers and dogs for interest and have the flowers become a frame which will direct interest towards the dogs...



In this portrait of the two dogs, IMO, the phone's dynamic range possibly cannot cover the range of values in the image. I mention this because the lighter dog looks almost white with very little detail in the coat. Since the dog's name is ginger, I suspect that she is more of a ginger color than white. Additionally, there is very little detail in the black dog. I tried unsuccessfully, to remedy the colors and detail...

These comments do not at all take away from the fact that this is a very nice portrait which, as I mentioned, will bring back memories for years to come.

BTW: This is just a personal quirk: When I photograph dogs, I will often use the clone stamp to hide the collar snap which I don't think is flattering in a dog portrait.

[teokf]

Wow! I did not expect the critiques for this photo. It was a fun shot that I took of my fur children. At that point of my photography journey, I was tired.

Next time, I will need to remember when posting a fun photo to make it clear. Thanks anyway.

[Manfred M]

Wow! I did not expect the critiques for this photo. It was a fun shot that I took of my fur children. At that point of my photography journey, I was tired.

Next time, I will need to remember when posting a fun photo to make it clear. Thanks anyway.

I'm not quite sure why a "fun photo" should not be well taken and well processed. I take a lot of "fun photos", but when I do I still ensure that I use good technique and composition. In post, I use many of the same techniques as in a serious image.

This is a photo learning site and you will find that you will get comments on how you could make a stronger image, regardless of it is a more formal image or just a fun one. If you are posting on social media, the reaction would likely be different.

[teokf]

This is a photo learning site and you will find that you will get comments on how you could make a stronger image,

Noted