Bridge Dog - CC requested and appreciated

[luvaneezer]

Happy New Year everyone!

In these photos I'm trying to learn about composition and, from the best I can understand, the principles of using natural elements to frame a shot, and about leading lines.

I appreciate any observations and suggestions you have about any aspect of these shots that can help me learn and improve. Many thanks!
Diane

SOOC:

Charlie-SOOC by luvaneezer, on Flickr

First crop and PP:

Charlie by luvaneezer, on Flickr


I tried cropping things a little tighter. I think I like the first one better, but not sure why.

Charlie-2 by luvaneezer, on Flickr

[marlunn]

I agree, I prefer the first crop - instant reaction is the boardwalk at the top of the picture in the first has 'headroom' and so fits the function 2nd crop is too tight on that for me. Maybe pull the whites on the front leg in a bit to recover some detail if poss?

[luvaneezer]

Thanks, Mark. I made some changes on the front legs. I think it looks better. Great suggestion!

Charlie-legs by luvaneezer, on Flickr

[Shadowman]

Hi Diane,

You've combined a few do and don'ts of composition here, but it works anyway. Having the pup mid center can be considered boring to some, but your use of DOF and leading lines, plus other elements makes this capture very exciting. I like the third image best, a little off center and close enough in the foreground to be edgy.

[luvaneezer]

Hi Diane,

You've combined a few do and don'ts of composition here, but it works anyway. Having the pup mid center can be considered boring to some, but your use of DOF and leading lines, plus other elements makes this capture very exciting. I like the third image best, a little off center and close enough in the foreground to be edgy.

Edgy is a great word for it - it evoked something in me that was a bit unsettled - I guess that can be good or bad :-)
I appreciate your input, John! Thank you so much!

[mknittle]

I Agree with John, the third is the best. I like that you didn't lose where the path goes out of sight.

[Loose Canon]

Hi Diane,

Welcome to the Forum! I admire the way you just came in here and jumped right into the Big Middle! Only way to go!

I think I know what you are going for here and I also think it’s a great technique for portraits. I’ll just toss out a couple of ideas for you to consider or not as you may see fit!

In this case I think would have centered Bridge Pup on the bridge in order to center the converging lines of the bridge. This to get equal converging lines from either side of the frame so there is no question and the eye follows the lines right smack into the subject (Bridge Puppy) from both sides. I think in this case the centering of the subject would be more than offset with the strong lines of the bridge.

Along this same theory I might have positioned Bridge Puppy a bit further back on the bridge to have a bit more convergence leading to the puppy from the foreground. And I would have kept an eye to the walkway in the background and tried to get Charlie more or less centered with where that walkway meets the bridge.

Also I would have put Charlie in a section that doesn’t have a handrail post shadow falling on him. The lighting is difficult and a bit harsh (which makes the shadows same) as a function of the time of day. You have done a pretty good job with your exposure under the circumstances. But that is a different topic!

Either way this is a great setting for your leading line study and Charlie is a great model!

[Mike Buckley]

Such a striking dog and reasonably controlled whites!

My first reaction is to recommend getting much lower and, if possible, to get the dog to look at the camera. More diffuse light probably would have been better; perhaps you could have waited for a cloud to pass over the sun, perhaps not.

[Manfred M]

A few additional thoughts on the image.

The main issue I have with this image is the harsh lighting. The camera left side of the dog is bright and the camera right side is in deep shadow. I can't see the EXIF data on the image, so am not sure about the time of day this shot was taken. A bit of fill light would help here, but I can't imagine you had a speedlight along on the walk with you...

Probably the first thing I do when I am out with my camera is to look at the light and if the light is not working, I won't (generally) take a picture. I find that animal images seem to work out a lot better in overcast conditions, when the light is nice and diffuse. The fur really shows up nicely. Alternatively, even in sunny weather, the shot often works better if they are completely in shade.

Sometimes centring the subject works quite nicely, but I still tend to look at composing to the "rule of thirds", and will try to place the subjects eyes on one of the horizontal third "lines" or will try to place the subject a bit more assymetrically.

What does work here, is that the background is soft and out of focus, so you DoF choice works well for you and the background does not overpower the shot. However, I do find that there is too much background for my taste. I feel that the subject of the image is the dog, and you don't want the background to compete with your subject. so finding the right balance is the real trick here. After all, you are trying to show that you are out for a walk in a really nice setting.

[luvaneezer]

I Agree with John, the third is the best. I like that you didn't lose where the path goes out of sight.

Thank you, Mark! I appreciate your help.

[luvaneezer]

Such a striking dog and reasonably controlled whites!

My first reaction is to recommend getting much lower and, if possible, to get the dog to look at the camera. More diffuse light probably would have been better; perhaps you could have waited for a cloud to pass over the sun, perhaps not.

Mike - the dog is Charlie - a constant companion of a good friend. He is striking - and very afraid of the camera :-)
Your suggestions are such good ones. I will remember to get down lower for a more straight-on shot - and do my best to get eye contact. I must confess, it never occurred to perhaps wait for some overcast - that thought will be with me now even on bright days, in not-ideal lighting.
Thank you very much!

[luvaneezer]

Hi Diane,

Welcome to the Forum! I admire the way you just came in here and jumped right into the Big Middle! Only way to go!

I think I know what you are going for here and I also think it’s a great technique for portraits. I’ll just toss out a couple of ideas for you to consider or not as you may see fit!

In this case I think would have centered Bridge Pup on the bridge in order to center the converging lines of the bridge. This to get equal converging lines from either side of the frame so there is no question and the eye follows the lines right smack into the subject (Bridge Puppy) from both sides. I think in this case the centering of the subject would be more than offset with the strong lines of the bridge.

Along this same theory I might have positioned Bridge Puppy a bit further back on the bridge to have a bit more convergence leading to the puppy from the foreground. And I would have kept an eye to the walkway in the background and tried to get Charlie more or less centered with where that walkway meets the bridge.

Also I would have put Charlie in a section that doesn’t have a handrail post shadow falling on him. The lighting is difficult and a bit harsh (which makes the shadows same) as a function of the time of day. You have done a pretty good job with your exposure under the circumstances. But that is a different topic!

Either way this is a great setting for your leading line study and Charlie is a great model!

Hi Terry! Thank you very much for the welcome. It is a bit scary to just jump in and put things out there when I know they are not very good (yet). But I do want to learn - and everyone has been so helpful and very kind. I feel very welcomed and really appreciate the constructive feedback!

One thing I am learning right off is to be as planful about the photo I hope to capture as I can be. Good lesson. As I will have many more chance to try this shot, I will keep in mind all of your suggestions. I like the option to center subject on the bridge with leading lines converging on pup. I'm interested to see what that will look like. Pushing pup back a bit and trying to center walkway is something else I will keep in mind.

I am embarrassed to say that I did not attend to the lighting and even notice the shadows across Charlie. Since he is fearful of the camera, I was lucky to have gotten any shot :-) But, I will train my young pup to be a better subject so I can put into practice all of these suggestions.
So many thanks for all your help!
Diane

[Geoff F]

For me, Diane, putting it very simply; the first image shows a bridge, and walkway, plus a dog. The crops are portraits of the dog with a bridge in the background.

Just changing the amount of foreground before the dog changes the whole concept. But which is best will depend on your intentions when you took the shot.

[luvaneezer]

A few additional thoughts on the image.

The main issue I have with this image is the harsh lighting. The camera left side of the dog is bright and the camera right side is in deep shadow. I can't see the EXIF data on the image, so am not sure about the time of day this shot was taken. A bit of fill light would help here, but I can't imagine you had a speedlight along on the walk with you...

Probably the first thing I do when I am out with my camera is to look at the light and if the light is not working, I won't (generally) take a picture. I find that animal images seem to work out a lot better in overcast conditions, when the light is nice and diffuse. The fur really shows up nicely. Alternatively, even in sunny weather, the shot often works better if they are completely in shade.

Sometimes centring the subject works quite nicely, but I still tend to look at composing to the "rule of thirds", and will try to place the subjects eyes on one of the horizontal third "lines" or will try to place the subject a bit more assymetrically.

What does work here, is that the background is soft and out of focus, so you DoF choice works well for you and the background does not overpower the shot. However, I do find that there is too much background for my taste. I feel that the subject of the image is the dog, and you don't want the background to compete with your subject. so finding the right balance is the real trick here. After all, you are trying to show that you are out for a walk in a really nice setting.

Hi Manfred, Wow - great comments/suggestions/ teaching! Thank you!

You are right - not only did I not have a speedlight with me, I don't even own one (yet) :-) At least I knew it is a flash - right?

Question on EXIF data - how to I make that available with images?

Your comment (and other's) about the lighting is so valuable. I will be more aware of that. I'm often limited by my full-time indoor job to odd hours for photography. So, it is good to have some compensating actions I can take (wait for some clouds, head for some shadows, bring a speedlight :-) ) if the lighting isn't great.

Many thanks, Manfred!

I am eager to try some other configurations to see if I can get a good balance between the subject and lovely setting.

[luvaneezer]

For me, Diane, putting it very simply; the first image shows a bridge, and walkway, plus a dog. The crops are portraits of the dog with a bridge in the background.

Just changing the amount of foreground before the dog changes the whole concept. But which is best will depend on your intentions when you took the shot.

Geoff - love this summary. Simple and clear. It helps me to think about my intentions. My goal was portrait of Charlie - in a setting I like very much. The crops achieve that more for me with the setting as context, not main focus.
Thank you!

[Mike Buckley]

Considering that Charlie is a constant companion of a good friend, consider watching the weather forecasts. When you become aware of an upcoming overcast day, you, your friend and Charlie could take a walk, allowing you to make a lot of photos in appealing light.

Also remember that light in the early morning and late afternoon can also be ideal whether diffused by clouds or not. It just has to be handled differently for a very different look.

[luvaneezer]

Considering that Charlie is a constant companion of a good friend, consider watching the weather forecasts. When you become aware of an upcoming overcast day, you, your friend and Charlie could take a walk, allowing you to make a lot of photos in appealing light.

Also remember that light in the early morning and late afternoon can also be ideal whether diffused by clouds or not. It just has to be handled differently for a very different look.

Mike - Though weekday daytimes are a challenge right now, early morning, later in the day and weekends are certainly possibilities - especially as we are moving in the direction of more daylight each day! Hopefully, many more opportunities ahead :-) Thanks!

[flashback]

Thanks, Mark. I made some changes on the front legs. I think it looks better. Great suggestion!

Charlie-legs by luvaneezer, on Flickr

I like the shot, crop and the dog. But I wonder, if you're taking the photo, who is he looking at?

[luvaneezer]

I like the shot, crop and the dog. But I wonder, if you're taking the photo, who is he looking at?

Hi Jack - he is looking at his person, my friend I was hiking with. He hates cameras - she was trying to get him to lie down for a split second :-)