Black Pug in White Snow...be gentle

[suzychalupa]

Hi guys.

This is my first post for critique. We had a day of snow so I rushed outside before heading to work to practice. I got this shot of my Pug in the snow. I know that snow can be tricky and so can photographing dark animals so I wanted to know what you guys thought of this shot. I haven't done anything to it, just cropped out a little of the image on the right. I believe I shot this in Manual and metered off the Pug to get the "right" exposure. I'm interested to see what you guys have to say.

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj243/IrishRider13/DPP_0005.jpg

[philodelphi]

Cute little guy!

[DAMphyne]

Good try on the processing, but you should know that it is forbidden to modify the posted photo without permission.
"Image Editing OK"

[disjecta]

Yeah, I wasn't sure about that but in the interests of the rules, I've deleted the post with my apologies.

[DAMphyne]

Suzy,
disjecta , and I would like to help you with this photo, it needs to have some processing done to make it a better photo.
If you turn on the "Image Editing OK" in your member section, we would enjoy the chance to offer our ideas.

[stsva]

Although you metered off your dog, he turned out too dark, with almost no detail showing. The EXIF data indicates this shot used evaluative metering, which means that the camera considered the entire scene in "recommending" a correct exposure to you, although it gives greater weight to the area you're focusing on (the dog). Your camera therefore took the snow into account along with the dog in calculating the exposure.

If you have image editing software available, you need to increase the brightness, limiting it to the dog if possible. For example, if you have Photoshop, you could use the shadow/highlight adjustment to increase the shadow exposure while leaving the highlights unchanged.

[suzychalupa]

Let me see if I can turn on the Editing Image thing...

stsva, so what setting would you have recommended other than evaluative for this type of setting? Since I'm learning still, i tend to just leave it on evaluative but I need to venture out and try the others too. I'm still trying to get clear on the benefits of each.

I only have DPP right now. PS is too expensive, although i have looked into PS Elements which is more affordable to me at the moment.

[stsva]

Let me see if I can turn on the Editing Image thing...

stsva, so what setting would you have recommended other than evaluative for this type of setting? Since I'm learning still, i tend to just leave it on evaluative but I need to venture out and try the others too. I'm still trying to get clear on the benefits of each.

I only have DPP right now. PS is too expensive, although i have looked into PS Elements which is more affordable to me at the moment.
Thanks for turning image editing on; I'll try to post an edit of your shot with an explanation of what I did when I get home tonight.

You have spot metering available on the T1i, and I'd suggest using that for this kind of difficult exposure situation. You could either spot meter off the snow (aim the center of the viewfinder at the snow), and then increase the exposure a couple of stops or so, or meter off the dog (point center of viewfinder at the dog), and determine whether you need to decrease the exposure to keep the snow from being too bright. Here's a chart showing the scene coverage of the different T1i metering modes: http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/T1I/ZMETERPATTERNS-LG.JPG.

You could have increased the overall brightness level in DPP, and/or used one of the picture style options (portrait, landscape, faithful, etc.) that will change the curve applied to the image for different relatives brightness levels. Try cycling through those on your original image file and see the difference each one makes; for example, "landscape" results in a relatively high-contrast image, but in your image above it would probably darken the dog even more. Elements would be a good editing option for you; you can do a lot of the basic editing you'd need without the complexity or expense of the full Photoshop.

[stsva]

I should have posted this for you too:
http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/camera-metering.htm

[suzychalupa]

Cute little guy!

Thanks! He is quite the comedian.

[DAMphyne]

:)I did a levels adjustment, midrange needle and bump the left needle to get contrast.
Needless to say, you probably couldn't have picked a tougher shot, in terms of exposure.
Black in white is very hard to get good exposure without adding light to bring the exposure into range.
This photo looks a little soft, probably due to camera movement because it evenly spread through the whole photo. Put your flash on, or :o use the pop-up, this will get your shutter speed up, and fill in the doggie.
Oh yeah, very cute model.

[stsva]

:)I did a levels adjustment, midrange needle and bump the left needle to get contrast.
Needless to say, you probably couldn't have picked a tougher shot, in terms of exposure.
Black in white is very hard to get good exposure without adding light to bring the exposure into range.
This photo looks a little soft, probably due to camera movement because it evenly spread through the whole photo. Put your flash on, or :o use the pop-up, this will get your shutter speed up, and fill in the doggie.
Oh yeah, very cute model.

DAMphyne beat me to it. Cute pup when you can really see him. :D

[suzychalupa]

Huh, that is quite a difference. Thanks!

[disjecta]

...and to take that just a step further, I brought some detail back into the snow. The blue cast could probably be taken out a little but it does imply cold...I think it's better than just a big wash of white, you can see a little texture there.

http://www.pinelakefilms.com/images/pug.jpg

[disjecta]

and here it is with a little of the blue hue removed:

http://www.pinelakefilms.com/images/pug2.jpg

[suzychalupa]

I think I like it better without the blue hue, but you are right, it does imply cold. Which it has been. I hate winter.

Well i just finished reading Understanding Exposure and I plan to go back and read it again a few more times.

[jackandmom]

very cute pug!!

[vpnd]

since we are all playing with the pug...

[stsva]

since we are all playing with the pug...

He's fun to play with, isn't he! :D

[Flo]

I think a crop would bring that pug face front and center:D
http://macymae.smugmug.com/Animals/Animals/DPP0005/780866660_U3kuM-L.jpg
Tonal contrast, 5X7 crop and GND

[DAMphyne]

I like the crop Flo.

[midnitejam]

The crop is a vast improvement to the image.

The original composition was my greatest objection. The other elements in the image were extraneous and competed for the main subject's attention. It doesn't bother me as much that the direction of the subjects gaze led me out of the image, but that is a broken rule that some have objection to.

[suzychalupa]

I get tired of always having them in the middle of the image or looking right at me so that's why I chose that one. I have one a few seconds after that pic was taken of him looking right at me but I don't have it here at work. I admit that I do like the crop though.

I'm glad you guys like him, as I'm sure he'll appear on here fairly regularly because my dogs are most readily available (animal) subjects, since I can't get to the barn except on the weekends.

[stsva]

I've been wanting to see the little guy in black and white since your original post, and finally got the chance to do a conversion.

[midnitejam]

I get tired of always having them in the middle of the image or looking right at me so that's why I chose that one. I have one a few seconds after that pic was taken of him looking right at me but I don't have it here at work. I admit that I do like the crop though.

I'm glad you guys like him, as I'm sure he'll appear on here fairly regularly because my dogs are most readily available (animal) subjects, since I can't get to the barn except on the weekends.

I don't really like the crop except it is an improvement over the original. I'm interrested in seeing more of your images here on the forum. I think you will do very well.

A few points to keep in mind...

Of course, the old 'rule of thirds' will always be appropriate and a strong instrument to aid you when you're computing your composition.
If you were shooting a person (full length, 3/4, bust, or whatever) a good approach would be to.........

1. Have the person's back toward or even against one of the frames. Works for pets,
too. Looking at you is fine even for pets.
2. Never have the subject's gaze looking out of the picture.
Have the eyes placed on a diagonal axis when possible and always
looking into or toward the center or directly at you from one of the 4 intersections
in the 'thirds'.

[Flo]

I don't really like the crop except it is an improvement over the original. I'm interrested in seeing more of your images here on the forum. I think you will do very well.

A few points to keep in mind...

Of course, the old 'rule of thirds' will always be appropriate and a strong instrument to aid you when you're computing your composition.
If you were shooting a person (full length, 3/4, bust, or whatever) a good approach would be to.........

1. Have the person's back toward or even against one of the frames. Works for pets,
too. Looking at you is fine even for pets.
2. Never have the subject's gaze looking out of the picture.
Have the eyes placed on a diagonal axis when possible and always
looking into or toward the center or directly at you from one of the 4 intersections
in the 'thirds'.

I think thats pretty rigid? Some of the most touching photos I have seen have not been eyes piercing into the lens.but looking downwards or offside? All rules are made to be bent or broken..if it fits the mood, its all good.

[disjecta]

I completely disagree with the "Never have the subject's gaze looking out of the picture" statement. I don't know where that came from but there are a million reasons why that would work very well. A significant number of the world's great portraits would not exist if this rule were enforced :)

[midnitejam]

I completely disagree with the "Never have the subject's gaze looking out of the picture" statement. I don't know where that came from but there are a million reasons why that would work very well. A significant number of the world's great portraits would not exist if this rule were enforced :)

Show me

[disjecta]

Show me

No.

[Flo]

http://digital-photography-school.com/10-ways-to-take-stunning-portraits

[midnitejam]

I think thats pretty rigid? Some of the most touching photos I have seen have not been eyes piercing into the lens.but looking downwards or offside? All rules are made to be bent or broken..if it fits the mood, its all good.Please, allow me to explain and apologize.......
Rules probably shouldn't be broken until they've been learned. It was an error for me to suggest that a portrait is wrong if the eyes are not piercing into the lens. I really didn't mean to imply that.

I was referring to the original photo. As I've already said, I liked the cropped version--still do. The comp in the original--not so much. With your experience and knowlege, you would never have arranged the elements in the photo as they were in the original.

I agree its ok to look out of the picture, but not from a position at the close proximity of the border when other elements of the comp are on the opposite side.

In this instance the dog's face is too close to the border to not be looking into the image rather than out of it.

Tell me that I am the only person in this thread whose attention was not following the dog's gaze out of the original image and away from the other elements.

As in the cropped version, when there was nothing in the other side of the photo for the subject to be looking at, then one direction of gaze is as good as any.

I agree that many of you guys are more qualified to give advice than I am, and that my comments were not meant to be written in stone (no set of rules are ever set in stone). The greatest portion of my limited knowledge was obtained from do's-and-don'ts I've learned from you guys in this forum.

I'm keeping my notion the composition in the original image doesn't work. I'm sure that you agree that there's More to a photo than proper exposure and proper focus.

[suzychalupa]

I'm interrested in seeing more of your images here on the forum. I think you will do very well.

Thanks, that's really nice of you to say. I'm very determined to get better and since I can already feel more confidence in myself each time I go out with the camera, it energizes me a bit.

I also like the gazing off camera thing, but enjoy the piercing gaze into the camera as well. I think a healthy dose of each makes for an interesting mix.

i need to mess with the rule of thirds and keep it in the back of my head more.

There is a training horse show here in my area on Sunday so I plan to (hopefully) get my happy butt up early and head down for some more practice.

[DAMphyne]

"get my happy butt up"
Beware of the TF.

[suzychalupa]

I'm interrested in seeing more of your images here on the forum. I think you will do very well.

Thanks, that's really nice of you to say. I'm very determined to get better and since I can already feel more confidence in myself each time I go out with the camera, it energizes me a bit.

I also like the gazing off camera thing, but enjoy the piercing gaze into the camera as well. I think a healthy dose of each makes for an interesting mix.

i need to mess with the rule of thirds and keep it in the back of my head more.

There is a training horse show here in my area on Sunday so I plan to (hopefully) get my happy butt up early and head down for some more practice.

[suzychalupa]

Not sure why that posted twice. Sorry guys.

DAMphyne, what does "TF" mean?

There is a little more to right of the image that I cropped out for the original posting. Would it have been better to leave some of that in the original?

[mdaniel]

...and to take that just a step further

since we are all playing with the pug...

Would you two describe your post-processing work-flow in Photoshop to help us noobs understand how to replicate this?

Thanks

[Flo]

Gotcha MJ.its all good,;) It is a tough composition to arrange comfortably.

[disjecta]

Very big of you to write what you did MJ. I respect you more now.

[DAMphyne]

title fairy

[stsva]

Here's a thread devoted to the Title Fairy http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=705008
Only the brave or foolhardy venture there. ;)

[DAMphyne]

Or the "Already caught", looking for a change.
Jes sayin'...

[suzychalupa]

Interesting. Well if this title fairy thing is based off of us saying stupid things I'm SOL. Haha.

[stsva]

Or the "Already caught", looking for a change.
Jes sayin'...

:D You're right about that!

[stsva]

Interesting. Well if this title fairy thing is based off of us saying stupid things I'm SOL. Haha.

You could easily become titled "SOL" if the TF saw this post. ;)