Shaggy Dog - Please C&C

[redleash]

Here is a shot of my dog, Josie, taking a rest after a run at the park. This was before we had her groomed for the summer--now her coat looks more like a schnauzer!

I really like this shot but would appreciate some feedback. I cropped the original to eliminate some of the field. Did some levels, curves, and saturation adjustments, plus a bit of burning and dodging. I also had done some sharpening, NR and exposure adjustments in ACR.

Thanks,
Lauren

http://www.redleashphoto.com/photos/632868446_zmwZM-XL.jpg

[Azzaro]

Hi Lauren..... I like the picture....The brush at the top is a little distracting.

I think that your photography is much improved .... YOur compositions are better and you have centers of interest and they arn't in the center..... :thumb azzaro

[rwells]

Hi Lauren..... I like the picture....The brush at the top is a little distracting.

I think that your photography is much improved .... YOur composition are better you have a center of interest and it isn't in the center..... :thumb azzaro

I'm not taking the easy route here, but :agree

[Skippy]

Here is a shot of my dog, Josie, taking a rest after a run at the park. This was before we had her groomed for the summer--now her coat looks more like a schnauzer!

I really like this shot but would appreciate some feedback. I cropped the original to eliminate some of the field. Did some levels, curves, and saturation adjustments, plus a bit of burning and dodging. I also had done some sharpening, NR and exposure adjustments in ACR.

Thanks,
Lauren



Lauren your dog is beautiful, Im agreeing with the other two posters with the background at the top of the image.

Also looks like you may have had an over exposure problem with hair on the top of the dogs head.

What a photogenic dog you have there, lovely shot :thumb

.... Skippy :D
.

[DaddyO]

Nice looking animal. Well groomed to. Think you've taken a nice image of her.

Understand you have already done much in the way of PP and slight crop.

For myself as I see her here framed up, I see nothing of particular interest
but the dog. So if it were my shot I would go with a much more tighter
crop. Azzaro would call it "freestyle". :D

I would crop above her head and just below her feet and also just to the
right of her tail. Leave enough extra at those points so theres balanced
leg room so as not to squish her in. To her right side I would leave a
couple of inches which will off set her body left of center frame. The
appearance of her looking out to right frame then helps the crop.

Give it a try. Maybe you'll like. :D Michael

[redleash]

Thanks to all of you, and esp. to Michael for the crop demo you sent me. Watch for a revision post-haste.

[redleash]

Here is a revision of my first shot of Josie. I cloned out the distracting brush at the top, worked on the over-exposure problem on her head, and then cropped it closer. I've added a second shot taken in the same field but at a later time--it shows her summer haircut. (I really disliked it at first because I loved her shaggy coat, but she has been much happier in the record heat this summer--and I have grown to like it.) The second shot is a bit soft, but I'm hoping my new lenses will solve that problem.

Thanks for your interest,
Lauren

1. Revision
http://www.redleashphoto.com/photos/635581863_MStP3-XL.jpg

2. Summertime
http://www.redleashphoto.com/photos/635580749_cShsM-XL.jpg

[Azzaro]

HI Lauren.....Put the second pic. back into you software and look at your histogram...... If you correct what it shows and do a high pass... I believe the soft look will be corrected..... azzaro

[redleash]

Thanks, Azzaro! It worked--but I didn't re-post again. I'd tried the high pass filter for some selective focus effects based on some instructions from Ziggy. But I had not read about using it for sharpening. Thanks for the info!

Lauren