Rocky in alert mode

[travis4567]

This photo has a lot of issues I know, focus, highlights etc. But a rare moment when My Jack Russell is not moving.

[Digital]

Nice photo; background is an issue IMHO.

Bruce

[rpcrowe]

I think that this is a really nice "terrier-like" image. Rocky seems to be thinking, "Come on, I'm ready for you!"

I agree with Bruce and I played with the background using both the Spot Healing Brush and the Clone Stamp tools of Photoshop CS6 and ended up with a realistic looking but, less busy dark background. Additionally, IMO, reducing the overall brightness of the image a bit will mitigate the blown highlights a bit...

I am not so sure about that dead leaf in the B.G. just at Rocky's nose. I think that I would take care of this with the above tools when I was working to clear the background.

Did you shoot this in JPEG or RAW? I recommend RAW because I can often control blown highlights a bit better with RAW than with JPEG. Of course, the best way to control highlights is during exposure!

I suspect that your camera was metering was influenced by the dark background. When I shoot my white dogs, I will often use a metering system that includes a smaller metering area as the target. My most important portion of the image is the dog. If I get the exposure right for the dog, I can usually take care of any problems with the background in post-processing.

Another way you can ensure that the highlights will not be blown is to bracket your exposures. Lots of photographers think that bracketing is a cop out but, I see so many images posted with blown highlights that, I would think that bracketing is a viable tool. All Canon DSLR cameras have the capacity to shoot in Auto Exposure Bracketing (three exposures of up to 2-stops apart) and when in burst mode will shoot these three exposures and then stop until the next time the shutter button is pressed. I don't know about the bracketing capabilities of other camera brands...

Yes, you use extra memory when you bracket, and yes, you have extra images to work with in post processing but, yes, this will mitigate problems like blown highlights in many cases...

[djg05478]

I can definitely appreciate the accomplishment of getting a photo of the whole dog while he is still. Well done. I use the photo sessions with my dogs as an opportunity for some basic obedience training for sit/stays and down/stays with treats. Over time they get to know the drill.

Debbie