Garden gnome

[pschlute]

[Manfred M]

Someone has a very cooperative dog...

I'd like to see the bright area in the top left corner burned down a bit so that this area is less distracting.

[lovelife65]

Such an expression!

[pschlute]

I'd like to see the bright area in the top left corner burned down a bit so that this area is less distracting.

Thanks Manfred. My thinking in this was that too many of my dog portraits are shot against a plain background ...so lets use the garden. I used an ambient exposure (M mode) that didn't blow out the background on a very sunny day, and used P-TTL flash with compensation dialled down to light Ripley (gnome). i originally wanted him on a tree stump on which the bird bath sits but it was too infested with creepy crawleys, so cleaned the bath and placed him on a towel (cloned out).

I was tight up against the fence to get the shot and agree the bright tree does detract.

I think my takeaway from this "shoot" is that if using a natural backdrop for a portrait, that background is the first thing that requires attention from the photographer and that the model (Ripley here) should only be brought in once I am happy with the former.

[pschlute]

Such an expression!

Thanks Sharon. I was pleased with his "lost puppy" look. Only took about 40 shots to get this one !

He is such a cheeky dog, always testing the boundaries with the boss (Rio), and if he gets into trouble runs to daddy (me) !

[lovelife65]

Thanks Sharon. I was pleased with his "lost puppy" look. Only took about 40 shots to get this one !

He is such a cheeky dog, always testing the boundaries with the boss (Rio), and if he gets into trouble runs to daddy (me) !

LOL.
Our male lab has what I call "the big baby male lab look" ... I'm telling you boy dogs really know how to work it.
At least he knows who's gonna give him love. hahah

[rpcrowe]

Great shot and caption selection...