| Author | Thread |
|
|
12/20/2006 07:56:56 AM · #1 |
| So here is the place where you can post your Pet Portrait in hopes of getting some constructive criticism. My hope is that by placing your entry here, it will be a signal to the rest of DPC that you are looking for some good advice on how to may your photo better. Do Not post your photo here unless you are looking for critical comments that point out the flaws in your entry. |
|
|
|
12/20/2006 07:57:17 AM · #2 |
I'll start this off:
 |
|
|
|
12/20/2006 08:09:47 AM · #3 |
I think IMO that the b&w did the picture unjustice. It really takes from the coats colors. Also the post shadow is very distracting. But you have a beautiful canine.
|
|
|
|
12/20/2006 08:40:45 AM · #4 |
| Honestly the shot is pretty good and the composition is not bad... I even like the b&w choice. What I don't like is the lack of contrast. IMHO, I feel this is the one single thing you could've done to improve this image drastically. |
|
|
|
12/20/2006 09:25:36 AM · #5 |
love to have any criticism/suggestions to make this better ... thanks in advance! |
|
|
|
12/20/2006 09:35:51 AM · #6 |
I would use a different background color if possible because the ears and the tongue just blend in and there is little contrast. Otherwise it's great.
Originally posted by pamelasue:
love to have any criticism/suggestions to make this better ... thanks in advance! |
|
|
|
|
12/20/2006 09:37:48 AM · #7 |
Originally posted by BakerBug:
I'll start this off:
|
I think the sky is stealing all the thunder. It's a larger, brighter area and takes up the majority of the room. There is half a body and only one foot so the interest is in the face. The face takes up too little of the frame. Either put more in the frame and add the background as a sense of place or move closer to get the details in the face. I'm not sure if the eye is a 'bad reflection' or a cataract. If it is the latter then that and the shape of the ears is what gives it character and emotion. There is texture in the ears and the coat but those details are secondary due to the composition.
At least that's my humble untrained opinion! |
|
|
|
12/20/2006 09:42:01 AM · #8 |
| thanks ... wish I could paint the wall every time I needed a different background color! Maybe I'll try to change it in PP ... thanks for your honesty! |
|
|
|
12/20/2006 09:45:34 AM · #9 |
Originally posted by pamelasue:
thanks ... wish I could paint the wall every time I needed a different background color! Maybe I'll try to change it in PP ... thanks for your honesty! |
If you light your backgrounds sep from your main subject then you can use gels on your lights. You can be as ghetto as you need to be with colored cellophane but be careful depending on the types of lights you use as it could be a firehazard. |
|
|
|
12/20/2006 09:47:20 AM · #10 |
Originally posted by TrynityRose:
Originally posted by pamelasue:
thanks ... wish I could paint the wall every time I needed a different background color! Maybe I'll try to change it in PP ... thanks for your honesty! |
If you light your backgrounds sep from your main subject then you can use gels on your lights. You can be as ghetto as you need to be with colored cellophane but be careful depending on the types of lights you use as it could be a firehazard. |
thanks ... I'll try to find some gels somewhere and try that ... don't have "real" studio lights ... just cheap Home Depot work lights for now ... need to exhaust their usefullness before I invest in real lights ... |
|
|
|
12/20/2006 09:57:14 AM · #11 |
Originally posted by pamelasue:
love to have any criticism/suggestions to make this better ... thanks in advance! |
I really like this one, though the ears are very tall, adding an ackward feel to you photo but nothing can be done there its the breed. Maybe a slight angle on this one .
|
|
|
|
12/20/2006 12:39:46 PM · #12 |
I took the liberty of playing with Duncan's pic. All I really did was re-crop and change the overall curves (I fixed black on the pupils of one of his eyes first).
The crop gets him more off-center and gets one eye pretty close to the rule of thirds. It also gets his ear close to a leading line from the upper right corner. I find it more interesting. You may not ;-)
If I were doing this for a challenge I would clean up that white bit on the bridge of his nose and maybe play with the catchlights in his eyes, and play around with gradient filters or something to see if I could make the background more complimentary.
Also, I would probably take his collar off before photographing him in future; the red clashes with the pink in his tongue (I blame my mother for instilling a strong belief that red and pink often clash).
edit - I meant complementary. I doubt the background will be telling him how nice he looks no matter what I do to it!
Message edited by author 2006-12-20 17:40:54. |
|
|
|
12/20/2006 12:55:38 PM · #13 |
I prefer the original to the post processed version.
I think the only thing key missing from the orginal is another light source, or some brighting of the face. Perhaps some side lighting. Though I am not too good at lighting myself. |
|
|
|
12/20/2006 12:58:00 PM · #14 |
Thanks MaryO ... that looks great ... I'm very new to post processing photos and haven't really learned all of the tricks yet ... I really like your crop better and love the way you brought out all of his colors ... I thought about taking off the collar ... but IMHO it gives him his personality ... it's actually hunters orange ... he spends a lot of time tracking deer with my brother ...
I'm going to take a stab at a re-edit and see what I can come up with ... I really tried to keep it "classic" and not do a lot to the photo the first time around ...
thanks again ... |
|
|
|
12/20/2006 01:33:11 PM · #15 |
This was my entry. I was torn about what to submit, because on one monitor it looks REALLY dull and un-contrasty, but on another it looks REALLY bright. How does it look to you?
Here's a really quick editing job -- just changed the negative space. What do you think? What else would you do differently?
|
|
|
|
12/20/2006 01:39:44 PM · #16 |
| I think its not sharp enough. Were you using a tripod with this? Very interesting pose though. I'd also try to get rid of the many shadows between his legs, perhaps with a fill light or in post. |
|
|
|
12/20/2006 01:40:36 PM · #17 |
I love this shot and the fact that you chose B/W. Very cute expression on the dogs face. Nice crisp photo. The composition is very good also. The only thing I find distracting is the railing to the left of the dog. Because there isn't much contrast from the dogs ear to the railing it blends too much. If you could've taken it at a slightly differnet angle where you didn't have the railing coming out of the dogs head then the dog would have stood out more. Besides that it was and still is a great pet portrait.
Message edited by author 2006-12-20 18:41:04. |
|
|
|
12/20/2006 01:43:43 PM · #18 |
Thanks zheka. I wasn't using a tripod becuase she wouldn't sit still! :)
I definately see what you're talking about with the shadows, thanks. Hopefully when my new lights get here tomorrow (yay!) I can fix that. |
|
