Pike discovered leaves today

[Sydney Rester]

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4024/4285501893_5bf26ccac7_o.jpg

Ah, the joys of being a puppy!


Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Exposure: 0.001 sec (1/800)
Aperture: f/4.0
Focal Length: 200 mm
ISO Speed: 400
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off, Did not fire


http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2786/4286243440_b78aef0a7a_o.jpg
Peek-a-boo!

Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Exposure: 0.001 sec (1/800)
Aperture: f/4.0
Focal Length: 70 mm
ISO Speed: 400
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off, Did not fire

[Rachel Foster]

The first one is a wonderful pose. I generally don't care much for pet photos but this one is charming.

[Asher Kelman]

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4024/4285501893_5bf26ccac7_o.jpg

Sydney Rester: "Ah, the joys of being a puppy!"


Sydney,

Thanks goodness your dog found the leaves! What an excellent match for it's brown coat. The large leaves have a myriad of colors and we love sienna colors, so now this has a chance to be liked as a picture! I find this picture already enjoyable. Continue working with this motif and explore how you might improve the composition even more. I like the simplicity of it. Try this at dusk and under-expose slightly to get richer colors and also consider either taking the picture from a ladder, (without the shadow going over the dog) or going low to the ground and shooting on its level to make it important in its surroundings.

You have made a major departure from pet pictures as soon as you control the background lighting and texture. Good job, but consider it as the first in a series. I'd love to see what you might develop.


Asher

Note, with this amount of blur, you can afford to have much more of the background included. It doesn't have to be centered. Sketch out various positions for the dog against a large background of leaves and try as many different ways as you can. Cropping tightly is a fashion not a requirement. You can decide whether or not it must be done with your picture to make it work. So, perhaps it's worth considering taking pictures much wider in the first place while you are learning of the possible ways your concept might be materialized.

[Sydney Rester]

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4024/4285501893_5bf26ccac7_o.jpg

Sydney Rester: "Ah, the joys of being a puppy!"


Sydney,

Thanks goodness your dog found the leaves! What an excellent match for it's brown coat. The large leaves have a myriad of colors and we love sienna colors, so now this has a chance to be liked as a picture! I find this picture already enjoyable. Continue working with this motif and explore how you might improve the composition even more. I like the simplicity of it. Try this at dusk and under-expose slightly to get richer colors and also consider either taking the picture from a ladder, (without the shadow going over the dog) or going low to the ground and shooting on its level to make it important in its surroundings.

You have made a major departure from pet pictures as soon as you control the background lighting and texture. Good job, but consider it as the first in a series. I'd love to see what you might develop.


Asher

Note, with this amount of blur, you can afford to have much more of the background included. It doesn't have to be centered. Sketch out various positions for the dog against a large background of leaves and try as many different ways as you can. Cropping tightly is a fashion not a requirement. You can decide whether or not it must be done with your picture to make it work. So, perhaps it's worth considering taking pictures much wider in the first place while you are learning of the possible ways your concept might be materialized.

Thanks for the feedback, Asher! I do have some wider shots. If I have time tonight I'll post one or two for comparison. I liked these a lot :)

[Sydney Rester]

Asher, here are a couple of wider shots. Do you think they work better?

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2798/4292038639_513f829abc_o.jpg


http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4012/4292038879_ab84d27238_o.jpg


http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4047/4292039139_f212bfc8a2_o.jpg

[Asher Kelman]

Sydney,

Wide means that the leaves take up a good portion of the canvas. I'd say twice or more as wide as you show now. Maybe look down from a ladder, but watch the shadow. The idea is to use the texture and varied color of the leaves to balance the shape and colors of your dog.

Try with a stuffed toy and without the dog. Maybe just a teddy bear! Do a composition of the bear with leaves. Then you can go to the puppy!