Bearface2
Jul, 2015Views
1999
Likes
Awards
Action Award
Chatter Award
Zenith Award
Winner in Purrfect Pet Portraits Photo Challenge
Superb Composition
Top Choice
Absolute Masterpiece
Peer Award
Outstanding Creativity
All Star
Superior Skill
Magnificent Capture
Love it
Emotions
Happy
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Top 10 rank
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken in my backyard, as most of my pet photos are. I have many animals that love to pose for the camera!Time
It was late afternoon on the fourth of July.Lighting
The bright sun was being filtered through the tree canopy, so there was a great balance of highlights without glare or washing out.Equipment
Handheld shot with Sony A-33 with 70-200 zoom lens, no filters or other equipment used.Inspiration
I love taking photos of all my animals, and my dog Bear happens to be especially cute and photogenic, with such deep brown, soul-searching eyes, it's nearly impossible to take a bad photo of him. I spend a great deal of time just sitting and watching, waiting for a great photo op to come up. I can also ask him to give me great expressions by just saying a key word, like "ball?" Gets him every time!Editing
Minimal post-processing was done on this photo. I cloned a tiny bit to remove "eye-goobers" that accumulated there from dust, and softened the edges a bit to bring the focus mainly onto his expressive eyes. A tiny bit of warming in the tan areas to enrich the color shade, and that's about it.In my camera bag
I always have a zoom/macro lens in my bag, which allows me to take either far away shots or close-ups, whichever opportunity happens to come up. I carry a handful of filters, and always an extra battery with full charge. It always seems that just as I find a great spot and get in a groove, my battery runs low. So always be prepared for that.Feedback
With dogs, the best part about their expressions is the eyes. There is just something about a dog's eyes. If you can get the dog to focus, using a word, a treat, toy, etc, and get sharp focus in the center of the face, you can get a great photo. With fluffy dogs, a shallow depth of field lends a blurred effect to the outer edges of the hair, bringing even sharper focus to the eyes, nose and mouth. A proper crop helps tremendously, and balance the colors and highlights, you've got a great shot.
