Do I have a chance

[polarbeardiggers]

took a few more shots of my puppy,and i thought since we have no pet photography in this city,i was wondering if i have what it takes to become one with these few images as example, pls critique , and let me know what you think?,thanks.

[SmartWombat]

Third, yes.
Though they all need cropping.
Or of course get closer (or buy a longer lens).
The problem with cropping is that you can't print the image as large with less pixels as you could have done if you get the composition right in the camera and put more of the subject in the frame.

Can I show what I have in mind by editing them?

[armywife1984]

The puppy looks so sad in the first 2 shots, like you took him out there and told him he cant play in the snow. I like the second and third shots the best, But for Pet Photography peopel like to see the animals faces The first would be good for that purose. I personaly enjoy all of the shot. they show the personality of your puppy. Good Job.
Army

[polarbeardiggers]

yes paul do your magic please,

thankyou army, perhaps he was sad because he knew he would puke in the car before we got home.

[MonkeyWrench]

The hardest part is just making the commitment. If you commit to taking great pet photos and work towards that goal it will happen. Check out some online pet galleries and see what they are doing to get a feel for composition. Good Luck.

1st Photo - I would like so see more of the eyes.
2nd Photo - Pupply looks Sad and too centered
3rd Photo - Even though you can't see the puppies face I like this one the best.
4th Photo - Nice shot. Shooting a black and White Dog in the Snow can be tuff.

[Frog]

These are ok photos but if you want to go pro pet photography, I think you will need much better backgrounds and sharp on the eyes.
At least you have a good model to work with.

[Lori11]

Cute! I have a border collie/blue heeler mix (5 months old) and after some good shots of him I too went looking into pet photography and I found my best resources were the "fru fru" pet shops. Visit all of them with business cards and talk to the owenr/manager. They are usually small so that person is almost always there. Offer up some freebies of the owners pet to display if you wish. Good luck!
P.S. I hope he didnt puke in the car LOL I about spit my coffee out laughing LOL

[mn shutterbug]

I agree with what has already been said. You need closer shots. Nobody is going to want a framed shot of their pet if Fido only takes up 1/3 of the photo. Although, it's nice to have a mix for variety. I had considered this at one time, but I think you would really be better off if you had a small studio with backgrounds and props. This way, the customer could have a choice of indoor or outdoor shots. The more choices, the more they will buy.

[polarbeardiggers]

I was thinking about just making it as a weekend type venture,where i would go to peoples houses or their favorite park, and have a two hour session where they would get say a 8 by 10 print with a pkg of 4 by 6 prints, and a full copy cd of all the shots taken that day,but my main concern was my camera,do you think a nikon d50 is qualified to do this type of photography, I was thinking of building up a portfolio of pets first by taking my friends pets free and offering them 4 by 6 prints for their trouble, such as cats dogs and some horses.I definetly don't want to give up my day job,but taking pictures on weekends is very relaxing for me,and a way to get my young son involved as well,.

thanks mike i understand about getting close up shots at full resolution,and framing the pet in most of the shot,just wanting to keep cost down and making it more affordable for the customer,where it can be fun for me to do and fairly cheap for the person to pay,by going to their local park our their own back yard on a sunny day.

lori11- yes he really did puke in my car before getting home,i have rolls of TP paper in the trunk but ran out of plastic bags,butthe real funny part was when we got home,he tiptoed through the puddles and tried to pee 5 times before getting in the house,lol.

[mn shutterbug]

Personally, I don't see why any DSLR wouldn't do a good job.I believe one of the most important factors in pet photography, just like in other types of photography, is to be able to take shots that aren't possible or at least very probable, with just a point and shoot. As far as I'm concerned, anyone with a decent P & S, can take a good picture of their dog sitting on the grass and looking at you. Nobody will pay someone for a picture like that. Think unique or possibly action shots. Maybe capture a dog leaping for a frisbee or jumping off a dock, or anything with movement, that most people can't capture. That is the reason I mentioned a small studio. It would be an investment, but nobody else will be able to take the same type of photo of their pet, without the studio equipment. If you take pictures in their house, I think you should have a few portable backgrounds and props. These also add to the professionalism. If all outdoor shots, be creative.

[mn shutterbug]

Here is a link to a pet photo studio in MN, that I ran across a few months ago. They have some nice photos and it may give you a few ideas. When I was considering the idea, this photographer told me to stop in anytime and he'd show me his studio. However, I rarely get to that part of the state, so I haven't had the opportunity yet.

http://www.bendaphotography.com/index.htm

[SmartWombat]

I think the puppy with the collie is the best.
But I'd crop it to remove even more background and put the puppy's head at the left 1/3 and the collie's head off centre.

The one where the puppy is almost pointing into the snow is good, I'd crop to try to put the head in the top left 1/3. But this image would only work in a series, if I wanted one picture of my pet it probably wouldn't be a butt shot.

The sitting shot, looking carefully I think the eyes are looking back into the frame, which makes the space on the left redundant. I'd go for a square crop. Slight lightening of the eyes brings out the direction of the gaze.

The one looking into the show, again I think is too centred - I know that's where the AF point is. There's also something that at this size I find distracting in the snow, and I'd crop it. At full resolution it might be something interesting, like a leaf, that the puppy is looking at - in which case leave it in.


I see others have commented on the importance of filling the frame too.

[polarbeardiggers]

smartwombat- thanks for your advice, i think most of these shots i already had cropped, to a small degree,the second shot i was going for the shadow and alittle of the background for additional coloring,the crops on the last two had really good focus on the grass near the dog and i thought best not to lose that part of the focus,as for the last goes to portraiture ,tightness is the key, i think my focus on the camera might of been set on spot,instead of more wider open,.

thanks for everyone's comments,appreciate every input i can get.