K9's in motion

[Bevb]

Hi, i have just joined today and thought where better to start, than to post some images and to get others views to better myself. I love to photograph animals, especially dogs, i never try to "set up" a situation, i like to capture them in their normal movements. I am also not too sure where i would post images like these, would they come under, sports? or another section. I would appreciate advice on this. regards. www.k9imageworld.com www.bevbarkerphotos.com

[drg]

Welcome to PR!
For review or a better chance at commentary/critique to improve or get feedback on the photo, this is a good forum. There is also a area in the Galleries for animals and pets.

Sports would be fine for K-9's working/training/competing, I'm not sure how much response you might get initially.

There are many dog lover and enthusiasts who frequent this site so I believe you'll get a number of responses.

The photos!
I like the first photo for the overall color and the expression of the dog. Looks like he (she?) is about to leap over, and I'd like to have seen that! The foreground and main subject are nicely focused with the background slightly blurred. This is one of those occaisions where (with the square format) a centered subject works.
The second is a fair shot with him turning but it needs some context. Also if the dog was positioned more left or right, preferably to the right he'd have more of a sense of action as there would be space in the frame for him to "run into" and thus denote action.
The third photo is somewhat more washed out than generally works well, though it may just need some minor adjustments in saturation, the Depth of Field is too far forward and the dog is not centered or well placed in where the camera has been focused.

Good looking animal by the way! Of course I'm somewhat biased as there are few dogs I don't like. Again welcome to PR and hope to see more posts from you soon!

[SmartWombat]

That first picture is best of the lot, just for the action.
Good that you slowed the shutter speed down enough to blur the paws, give the sense of movement that the image needs.

It would be interesting to try focussing just closer than the nearside* of the log.
Then time it so you get the dog's eyes in focus during the jump, not before.
Hard to do, but it might give more impact to the dog, rather than the log.

* A tip I heard ... Lean forwards, get sharp focus on the log, then lean back.

[CLKunst]

Hello,

Welcome to the board! I really love your pictures! The first and third are my favorites. While I agree with Chris the the dog in mid-leap would have been ideal I see that the real focus is the dog's focus. Sizing up that log, just leaving the ground.
The third is just gorgeous!! I love the sympathetic waves between grass humps and dog fur. Again I see what the others have pointed out but think it is a secondary consideration to the beauty you've caught here. An interesting alternative crop might be something along the lines of a panoramic. Just a thought that struck me while looking at it. The dimensions of the image seem to be leaning that way already.
You have a beautiful photo style that seems consistent, at least among these images I haven't checked the rest of your work yet. Is this achieved in camera with focal length, shutter speed and aperture or in post processing and if so what filters are you using? I just love the softness you are achieving while retaining that eye focus.

Lovely work and thanks for sharing it with us.

Regards,

[Bevb]

Many thanks for all your comments and advice i have taken everything on board and will be out this week putting your advice to practice.

[julsoph]

I think my favorite one is the third one...the dog just looks so content, lolling in the grass, with the wind blowing his fur around.

Emily

[readingr]

Bev,

Number 1 is terrific as is the concentration on the face is incredible and the blurring of the paws wonderful - Reminds me of old Collie no longer with us unfortunately. We used to walk and run for miles.

Number 2 you've managed to catch the glossiness of the black fur but the rest of the photo is a little bright, especially the white fur. Needs a little room on the left for the dog to run into.

Number 3 - was this taken in the latest cold snap? he/she doesn't seem to care. Mine used to come to life in these conditions, especially if there was snow on the ground she would go nuts.

Is it a collie thing to have the toung hanging out as brandy had this trait too. My current dog a terrier doesn't?

Roger.

[Bevb]

Bev,

Number 1 is terrific as is the concentration on the face is incredible and the blurring of the paws wonderful - Reminds me of old Collie no longer with us unfortunately. We used to walk and run for miles.

Number 2 you've managed to catch the glossiness of the black fur but the rest of the photo is a little bright, especially the white fur. Needs a little room on the left for the dog to run into.

Number 3 - was this taken in the latest cold snap? he/she doesn't seem to care. Mine used to come to life in these conditions, especially if there was snow on the ground she would go nuts.

Is it a collie thing to have the toung hanging out as brandy had this trait too. My current dog a terrier doesn't?

Roger.

Roger, Firstly thank you for your reply and comments. Yes you are right the third picture was taken just a few weeks back in a frosty spell, and yes all my dogs (i have 5 in all) come to life when its cold and crispy! but then again so do I, I love nothing more than being out with my dogs and camera on a bright frosty morning, and yes if they are not running around with their toy in their mouth, the tongue doesnt seem to know what else to do but hang out! regards Bev.

[mtbbrian]

Welcome to PR.com!
I'd say your photographs fit well here. Afterall, you were asking for a critique!
I like them all, they are very playful and show some personality of the dogs.
You might consider posting just one photograph per thread. You'll be more than likely to get better feedback on a single photograph than mulitple photographs per thread.
Brian