My First Post-Criticism Please!!

[ChickenSalad]

Actually this is my second post! This is a picture of my beloved Henry who has become very used to being photographed since getting my 10d.
After processing this RAW image I had discovered that the area around his nose was quite overexposed so I went about creating a new layer in CS2 andused gaussian blur at low opacity to kind of fuzz it out a little.
As this is my first proper post i'd like any readers to make serious criticisms about the composure, colour or indeed anything which you think needs attention. Thanks!

[austinjames]

I think it is a great shot. Nicely composed and well done.

[Lula Mae]

Nice, you really capture the moment. It seems to be that the dog is a little soft....maybe because he's moving...?

[guitarman3]

Very nice and I like the water dripping from his ears. Seems to be framed nicely, too.

[Nick C.]

I would agree that the dog looks a touch soft (particularly his face - maybe that blurring you did?) but it could just be my eyes (and could be easily fixed).
I would be very pleased to capture a shot like that though. I think the composition is great - it looks like Henry has his eye on something and is poised for a chase.

[pup]

Dog is a bit soft, otherwise nice first post :]

[ebondanes]

Yes, the dog is a little soft, but I think it is in line with the overall "mood" of the shot. I think any dog owner would be in heaven to have a shot of their dog like that -- and would pay to have it, too. Also, the shot could be turned into "painted art" very very easily. Good job.

[ChickenSalad]

Thankyou all for your remarks!
I took the shot with my only lense, the canon 50mm prime.Checking over the settings it was at 1/320 at 1.8. I think I should have just sharpened the image a little and left it at that. Thanks for all your comments though, it is appreciated.

[tupe]

I like this shot, and you've waded thru several obstacles to get it. I know nothing about primes, so I'm guessing more than anything, but it does seem that a little more DOF might have given you a sharper image. Also if this is full frame I might crop to vertical with the subject a bit further to the right.

[ChickenSalad]

Thanks for the heads up Joe! Ok, same pic with a vertical crop, slightly increased saturation and removed the gaussian layer in cs2. Its still a little unsharp tho, but thanks for telling me about the aperture. I guess I was concentrating a little too hard on blurring out the background.
Si

[pup]

I like dog on the edit but I like it without being cropped.
The wider picture is more powerful

[CarolP]

I too like the original picture without the crop but the dog looks better with the editing you did to sharpen him. All in all in my opionion, it is a beautiful photo

[Nick C.]

Much better without that blur layer. I would also vote for the uncropped picture though. I think in seeing more of the dog's surroundings it provides more atmosphere and helps to draw you into the photo.

[Rubi Jane]

Great shot of Henry pointing. I prefer the original uncropped version but like the blur layer removed. If I was to be really picky on composition I'd like to see Henry further to the right third. I think it would be more pwerful and make you wonder even more what has caught his attention.

Thx for sharing. Do you have other shots of Henry? He's a beautiful spaniel.

[ChickenSalad]

Thankyou all for making some great comments, this has given me something to think about. Lindsay, since you asked, and I hate to decline, heres another pic I took the same day.

[T.D.]

Really nice shots. I definitely prefer it without the blur. Excellent composition.

How long did the pooch hold the first pose?

[ChickenSalad]

Hi Turnerzdad. He must of sat there for about 10 seconds- waiting for me to give him the command to dive in and "fetch". I remember this because I shot a few off at the same time.:)