Santa, I Want A Home. Signed, A Good Dog.

[CLKunst]

A picture from an adoption event I worked recently. The group I work for GoodDogz.org gets all of the little rescue groups and shelters in my area together in one big place and promotes it like crazy so that families who might have gone with a pet store puppy have the option of considering a rescue instead. They are also all about public education for choosing the right dog for your situation so you don't get overwhelmed and have to give it up later on.

[srobb]

Great pic, CL. Definitely tugs at the pet lover heartstrings. The dog reminds me of my lil Taz I had several years ago. Not sure if I would have done a shallower DOF, but it is good enough so Santa and the doggy stand out. The one glare spot in the lower left corner is the only thing that really bugs me.

[dbutler]

Just precious!! You know how I feel about rescues so you've caught my attention for sure. And being my usual unusual self, I like the flares. They're in gold, green and red: Very christmasy.

[Yoyo Szeto]

Hi CL,
The depressing expression of the dog and the title work prefectly. I like the choice of shooting the dog away from the Santa. The dog is really sad.
yoyo

[CLKunst]

Thanks for the comments all! In an event like this I don't get much opportunity for set-up or re-shoot. It is what it is and you try to squeeze what you can from it. There are always drawbacks to this approach and I am always inspired by the more carefully set-up images I see in this forum. Aaah well. . . Someday that will be me too.

SRobb - Here is your fuzzed out background and cropped out lens flare. There is still a little flare in the top right but I don't think it nearly as distracting. I agree with you that this would have benefited from a shallower DOF. Here's the next best thing, (hastily done to convey the idea).

D - On the other side of the lens flare coin, I agree. As a person who does a lot of concert photography I am not shy on lens flare, it's a fact of life. Thanks for seeing it from another angle! I like the idea of Christmas lights or balls or even a doggie thought bubble.

Yoyo - Thank you for your analysis. You have indeed read it as I intended.

[Yoyo Szeto]

Hi CL,
Just read a writing by Martha Sandweiss today. It is: the capacity of photographs to evoke rather than tell...makes them alluring material...
This photo does evoke.
yoyo

[opus]

I want that dog! That's exactly the kind I want when I'm ready for a dog in my life.

[srobb]

Excellent re-do, CL. I like that one much better and the little glare in the top right is not near as distracting to me as the other was. Like you said, sometimes you just can't get away from it. ;)

[Janie]

THAT is an excellent shot! And the dog reminds me of my lil Jessie - she died a few years ago. Shelties are the absolute best dogs - i'd have her sit, could walk around the block and she'd be in the same spot sitting. ;-)

[GB1]

It is a very nice shot.. I like the color also, it seems to have a perfect Xmastime color range to it and is not to dark, not to light. Now all that it needs is a mouse on the ledge where the dog is looking...

GB