Ripley's turn tonight as my model.
Roy
Pentax K3 gripped,and some lenses
https://www.flickr.com/photos/pentaxroy/
my pbase gallery
It is a real trial to get him to sit still for a picture. My dilemma is that if I hold the camera he is a) likely to move before I take the shot and b) he tends to be looking straight at me which leads to same-ish pictures.
Using the camera pre-focussed and triggered by remote means I can interact with him and keep him from moving, but I am not getting perfect focus using this technique. I did have some much more animated captures but had to bin them due to focus. At the distance i am shooting I am getting a total DOF of about 7 inches even at f11. That may be fine for human portraits but with the canine sitter one has to allow for the long snout !
I will have to bribe my partner to be my photographic assistant !
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Very expressive eyes on that pooch, but is there a hint of a halo around the dog??
https://www.flickr.com/photos/arleimages/
It's a good angle with the nose at front, giving a sense of presence and dimension . I think you need a smaller aperture, perhaps 1.5 stops smaller, to pull the eyes fully into focus like the nose.
I'd like to see a crop, without the body, a square crop cut off just below the ears and the top brought down also ...I wonder if that would pack a bit more punch? If you leave it as it is then I think there's a bit too much space at the top.
It's good to see your project still developing!
Pentax K7 with BG-4 Grip / Samyang 14mm f2.8 ED AS IF UMC / DA18-55mm f3.5-5.6 AL WR / SMC A28mm f2.8 / D FA 28-105mm / SMC F35-70 f3.5-4.5 / SMC A50mm f1.7 / Tamron AF70-300mm f4-5.6 Di LD macro / SMC M75-150mm f4.0 / Tamron Adaptall (CT-135) 135mm f2.8 / Asahi Takumar-A 2X tele-converter / Pentax AF-540FGZ (I & II) Flashes / Cactus RF60/X Flashes & V6/V6II Transceiver
I thought for a moment you had got Sigourney Weaver to pose for you!
Very expressive eyes on that pooch, but is there a hint of a halo around the dog??
Sigourney was busy I am afraid.
The halo you are seeing is from the illumination of the grey background. I am using one flash with a reflctive umbrella to light it up to try and achieve "seperation" from the subject. Directly behind him is the brightest spot and the light falls off quite sharply. I think I could do with two flashes on the background to light it more evenly, but am already using two flashes on the subject (+1 on background) and I dont have a spare........Yet !!!
My Flickr page
I'd like to see a crop, without the body, a square crop cut off just below the ears
I think you are right Nigel, the square crop suits much better. Although with this particular photo it shows up the focus defficiencies more.
My Flickr page
Pentax K7 with BG-4 Grip / Samyang 14mm f2.8 ED AS IF UMC / DA18-55mm f3.5-5.6 AL WR / SMC A28mm f2.8 / D FA 28-105mm / SMC F35-70 f3.5-4.5 / SMC A50mm f1.7 / Tamron AF70-300mm f4-5.6 Di LD macro / SMC M75-150mm f4.0 / Tamron Adaptall (CT-135) 135mm f2.8 / Asahi Takumar-A 2X tele-converter / Pentax AF-540FGZ (I & II) Flashes / Cactus RF60/X Flashes & V6/V6II Transceiver
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5083 posts
17 years
Surrey
I lit this with a reflector dish and sock from the left as main light and a softbox from the right as fill light. The background I lit with an umbrella, but i think it could do with more light? Or not?
I change tacticks tonight by setting the camera on a tripod pre-focussed so I could interact with him more and get a more animated expression.
My Flickr page