Max at Home

[brad_towery]

I shot a few of His Highness - this one I liked for "real" reasons. I would like your honest input. I love my dog but I do wish to hone any skills I might have.

[cgkades]

i like the image, the colors look awesome. you should fix the green haze in the eyes though, it's very distracting

[Wayne Wood]

I would have to agree about the eyes, this is a beautiful animal and I would be proud to own one as pretty,,, a more non descript background would also be more pleasing to the eye

[brad_towery]

The Green haze in his eyes is kind of a "thing" with dogs. So this photo is really about my great dog and my laziness in dealing with small details. It's about great light and timing. My dog hides when I dig out my camera. It's not like I beat him with the camera and strap. But please feel free to wish him well and good wishes on his journey. Just a few more photos and he can become a lingerie model in Chicago.

[JimL]

Beautiful color in the shot. Very warm.
I think had you been a little lower when you took the photo it would have been better and perhaps in portrait aspect. If he had been looking to the right the space wouldn't appear as excessive to me as it does now.
Great looking dog and, I'm sure, a great companion.
JimL

[Bishop]

One trick to avoid the green haze is to have your dog looking away from the camera. Have someone stand off to your side with a cookie (slang for dog biscuit or treat). Also, get down on your dog's level as well, that's a very important tip to get great dog photos. And, try putting your dog near a window and taking his shot in natural light using no flash, it really makes a great photo. I see a good bit of natural light coming from somewhere behind him, move him by that window/door and see what you can get. And, try to include a little more of the dog's neck/chest.

To see what I mean by using natural light, you might like to check out these shots I did with my dog.

http://www.photozo.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=44683

Your dog is very good looking. I'm sure he's well photographed

[rupypug]

Very nice!!! And as you already know the eyes need to be fixed.

Great photo. Jeremy

[brucep]

JimL expressed my thoughts exactly. The image doesn't need as much space above his head or to the right, but more of Max would've been even better.

[Jan]

Crop like this is my idea Brad, it really is a super shot

[Jan]

Just crop like this is my idea Brad, such a beautiful photo! Could the green eyes be from jealousy!

[brad_towery]

WOW - Thanks for all the input and feedback, it is appreciated. To be truthful - I was digging through my camera bag last night (after 9pm) and found a nice little 50mm lens I had forgotten about. I popped it on the camera and snapped a few of Max.

(edit for accuracy- THIS shot was taken around noon and with a different lens. I took some later in the evening as well but this shot wasn't part of that group. Damn I hate getting old - stuff runs together.)

This was shot with the built-in flash, overhead light and a lamp to the right of the scene. I couldn't get down lower - every time I did Max came to me to be petted. I had just repositioned him and snapped this one.

I left the space to the right of Max open to avoid center composition and to bring in some might light to the background. But I agree it could benefit from a bit of cropping like Jan suggested. And I was just too lazy to try to fix the eyes.

Thanks to all for good suggestions and constructive input. That's what's always been so good about The "Zo."

[volschenkh]

Hi Brad

Just a few constructive criticisms from me:
1. Good focus on the eyes, but of course the retina glare needs to be corrected.
2. With regards to the composition, I feel the crop is too tight around the head of the dog. You should have included maybe a little more of the rest of the body.
3. Background is also too busy for my liking, but its personal preference.

Overall, I like the detail in the face, the rich colors and the ambiance of the photo.