Weekly Competition #281 - Pets Competition

First of all I have to say what handsome pets you all have but I did mention that I was looking for 'that special relationship' and 'technical excellence'. I do appreciate how difficult it is to photograph less than enthusiastic subjects.

Jackson by Charlotte

An immediately appealing picture where the warm tones of the cat's fur are complimented by the similarly warm tones of the background. Sharp where it should be but I feel just a little frustrated by his right ear being cropped off but it is good to see it's shadow. The vertical band of light on the right hand edge of frame is distracting and I think an already good picture could be improved by cropping it off.

Royal Python by Noelcmn

Good use of depth of field but the snake's eye bang in the middle of the frame makes for a very static composition. I'm slightly bothered too about the noise levels, I think you could have reduced the ISO quite a bit too for what I imagine isn't a fast moving subject. Nice bokeh, though.

Bobby by AndrewA

A nicely captured and composed photograph of a terrier. I know it is seductive to use a fast lens wide open but I can't help feeling that his blurred nose really is a bit of a distraction, you could have dropped the shutter speed to perhaps 1/30th and gained a few extra cms of sharpness. Despite what you say I really think the eyes have to be pin sharp, dogs might be resting but their senses are always working.

Pawser by Timcx500e

Looks like someone has just been to the beauticians! A cracking studio shot with an attentive expression and lighting that really shows off the texture of his coat. I do think the catch-lights are a bit big and it might be an improvement to remove the left-hand one from his left eye but that is really nit-picking on a cracking shot.

Happy Hedgehog by johnriley

I had no idea people kept them as pets either. He certainly looks relaxed but I find pink tartan shirt a little bit incongruous. If he had just had the striped fabric behind him I think this could really have worked very well.

Presents for All by Darlene

A seasonal reminder of how much our pets mean to us. I know you have to grab the moment but overall I find the background too distracting and the direct flash lighting harsh, bouncing it off the ceiling would really have helped here.

Beavis by Bassman

If I had tried that with any cat of mine I would have ended up in casualty. Fun and imaginative and technically good. Once again the background compliments the cat's colour but I think this picture could be really improved by cropping off most of the left side almost up to his paw and cropping the top almost down to the tips of his ears.

Snuggle time by JemC731

No, I wouldn't want to move him either. Nice composition and expression caught in a charming moment. Somehow I can't help feeling it could be slightly sharper where it matters but that doesn't really detract from a good picture.

Daisy by Davidstorm

Another cutie but I'm not to keen on your PP. I can see why you've chosen to add a vignette effect to remove distracting elements in the background and I think you could have gone further in this but the overall 'fog', at least for me, is getting in the way of an otherwise fine shot.

A Cat in France by drofmit

I kind of like this but there is something I don't like too and I can't quite put my finger on it. I like the dappled light and the colours which almost immediately say 'France' to me. I can see why you have kept the shutters in but I think in the end there just isn't enough in the top half of the picture to hold my attention.

Not everyone's choice by Tytonet2000

Another example of just how good the sometimes derided Pentax kit lenses are. You've used exactly the right aperture to control depth of field and skilfully placed the lizard's eye using the rule of thirds but what is that dark out of focus band? If you could only have dropped your viewpoint a little it would have disappeared behind him.

Holly by VonBatCat

A lovely well caught expression on a German Shepherd's face but by converting to monochrome I think you've lost a lot, these dogs have beautiful rich colour in their coats. I can see its taken a time to cut out his head and you must have had good reasons for doing so it just isn't working for me I'm afraid.

Matisek by dannyh

By the EXIF data, or indeed the lack of it, I'm guessing you are using a manual 50mm prime wide open. As I mentioned earlier I can see the attraction in the challenge but I think you could have upped the K30's ISO and stopped down a little bit to get more sharpness in the cat's face and still left the background out of focus.

Me and my pals by davidtrout

Great use of the square format and my eye delights in following all the action in the dogs' eyelines. Well observed interaction between owner and pets with the owners own hair and hat colouring matching his dogs. Great picture.

How To Keep Young Cocker Spaniels Still For More Than 0.1 Seconds by DrOrloff

At this time of the year loads of shops sell calendars featuring pictures of various dog breeds and this is up there with the best of them. Technically proficient with perfectly controlled depth of field and beautifully composed using the classic devices of thirds and leading lines. I bet they jumped out and ran off as soon a you released the shutter!
Cat-in-a-box! By Stopher

Nice use of backlight using one of my favourite lenses which still provides detail in a tiny depth of field. Its kind of cute with the cat in the box but I feel that sharp cardboard tab is dominating the shot which is a real shame.

World's most useless cat by simonarron

A nicely recorded moment and someone else who knows how to use depth of field effectively. Nit-picking again but could it be rotated 1.5 or 2 degrees anti-clockwise? A very enjoyable picture nonetheless.

Its behind you!! by bforbes

Another well observed and caught image and a lot of people might have been caught out with their exposure due to that expanse of white. For me the expanse of white and the wavy black lines are pulling my attention away from the picture which is defined by the window frame.

Warm together by ReklawyksEkul

I immediately thought of the 'Ethos of Lomography' thread when I saw this. Well composed and observed it demonstrates that pin sharpness isn't always necessary and the inherent softness in the image compliments the subject excellently.

My Special Pet by JudithAnn

A well captured moment of a lively subject but I'm a little frustrated by nor seeing all of his tail. It looks like this is a fairly hefty crop so perhaps cropping a little more loosely if that is at all possible would help.

Unimpressed by Clarkey

Well thought out and composed with a nicely uncluttered background but the composition would be better if you took a fair slice of the left to put his nose a third of the way in. Sadly its out of focus where it matters which shows just how tricky a 300mm lens is to focus even using f13.

Doggy by Kosh

At first I thought this was a stereo pair! A nice expression on his face but technically you could have made life a lot easier for yourself if you had used 400ISO. As it is there is subject movement in his head and the focus seems to be on his rear paw.

Diner time by chrysteyan77

Pretty much my comments above apply to this entry too. A faster ISO would have helped you a lot but, as it is, nothing very much is sharp and it is a bit dark too.

Life is so hard by cretemike

We're probably not supposed to let them on the furniture but there is something deep within us that finds the proximity of a big warm dog comforting. You've certainly caught a special moment.

Attitude by Dodge69

She certainly has it in spades and I bet she didn't hold that pose for long so well done for capturing it. I'm not usually a fan of colour popping but this works really well but I think a tweak in levels to take the black down a fraction and increasing the saturation in the eyes could be quite startling.

Rodney by Geordie01

Do alpacas ever visit the orthodontist? Quite a character but I cant help wondering why you were using such a high ISO in those conditions. The light is producing really dark shadows and a judicious pop of subtle fill-in flash would have produced a less contrasty picture. Again well chosen aperture setting.

Jasper by Blythman

A well posed studio shot with a great expression although the background is far too busy and distracting for my taste. Unfortunately the picture looks fatally overexposed with those burnt out highlights, tricky subject matter. Always better to underexpose by a fair margin in these situations, you'll always be able to pull out shadow detail later.

Dog on a Log by CMW

The symmetrical composition with the dog looking off to the side works really well although I do think cropping the top to just above the end of the log would be more dynamic. I don't think the colour popping works so well here and the colour of the dog's coat looks duller than I think it might be.

Always prepared by KPATEP

A lovely expression on a good looking dog but there is just too much going on in the background coupled with your choice of a fairly long shutter speed there is some subject movement. I'm sure you must have loads more.

Ros by Paulb31

A classic Retriever pose with a pleasing composition and pose but sadly, once again we have blown highlights which seems to be leading to some chromatic aberrations too. Both light dogs and black dogs are murder to get right.

Hypnodog by Northgrain

Yeah, they're all masters of the big brown eyes trick! I like the viewpoint giving you an uncluttered view of a spaniel in his working environment, shame about that name tag. It would be tricky to clone out but well worth removing the distraction I think.

Gucci the dog by Cardiff_gareth

I remember this shot from a previous outing and it is good to see it again here, I like the lighting and the pose of both of them although I think I'd prefer to see the girl just clear of the dog and her hair tidier on the right but that isn't much of a criticism. Well done.

Our feathered friends by Jim-w
I'm sorry this just isn't working for me. Although the figures in the background are out of focus they are still dominating the composition and both the bird and the falconer have their backs turned to camera.

All in a Rush by GaryJohn

Don't despair it was nearly there and if only the dogs head had been sharp you would have had a cracking shot, worth practising I think and perfecting the technique.

Dog on Beach by peterm23

Another nearly there shot. You've done well to nail focus on a fast moving target and stopped motion with a great expression on his face. Its just such a pity that its so massively over-exposed. What a shame.

Its always tough when there are so many good pictures which have been a pleasure to pore over but here are the results:

1st Davidtrout (sorry David, you're going to be busy)
2nd DrOrloff
3rd Cardiff_gareth

Terrific competition, and really fabulous constructive judging

Congrats to David, Adrian and Gareth - really fine entries all and deserved the gongs.

I've been trying to keep the missus from seeing Seb and Flick... it would make the 'two cockers would be better than one' argument unanswerable

Excellent, a difficult subject, but a superb winner. Nice judging too Ken!

Thanks Ken, its an honour to win with so many fine pictures from genuine pet lovers. Much as I adore animals I'm not a pet owner.
I'm not in the least surprised to find Adrian on the podium as I thought his picture was superb and its good that Gareth is back on board with a great shot. I also thought the dog portraits of VonBatKat and David Storm were excellent.
Expert judging Ken and so many entries show you selected a very popular subject.
I'll be back with the next subject tomorrow am.
David

PPG: http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/artists/davidtrout

Congratulations to the winner and other placings. Thanks to gartmore for an interesting subject and helpful comments.

Congratulations to David, and all who entered. Thanks for constructive feedback Ken. Much appreciated

Well done (again) David - a fine shot among many.

Many thanks Ken for the considered judging, congratulations to David on a fine winning shot and to Adrian and Gareth for the well deserved 2nd and 3rd places.

Regards
David

Congratulations David on a superb winning shot packed full of character. Likewise Gareth, so I'm honoured to be in such company. Thanks to Ken for a heavily subscribed and very well judged competition.

Congratulations David, a super shot, showing that special relationship that exists there. And congrats to Dr Orloff and cardiff-gareth. Thanks Ken for a popular challenge and judging what must have been a difficult one-so many entries this time round.

Some cracking photos to chose from. Well judged and excellent feed-back. I will see if anybody has a cure for chromatic aberrations.

I'm sure the vet can provide something

Congrats to David & the other placings. Many thanks to Ken for the fine judging....difficult due to the many varied & excellent entries!

Congratulations people. Thanks Ken.

Thanks to Ken for the good comp and judging.
Well done to David for a lovely image, and well done to everyone else, lots of fantastic portraits.
Jim.

A great winning picture , thanks for the constructive comments.
regards, tim