SOULA
I met this wonderful (& utterly beautiful) girl out on my Scotland's Horses project & well - could you resist photographing this stunner? ...
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I met this wonderful (& utterly beautiful) girl out on my Scotland's Horses project & well - could you resist photographing this stunner?
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Nov, 2017Views
4355
Likes
Awards
Contest Finalist in My Favorite Pet Photo Contest
Featured
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Superb Composition
Magnificent Capture
All Star
Outstanding Creativity
Superior Skill
Virtuoso
Genius
Top Ranks
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 1
Top 10 rank
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 1
Categories
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valmain
March 05, 2018
Love this. It brings tears to my eyes as i see the love in the dogd's face and reminds me of our GS
PRO
scotia
March 05, 2018
Thank you so much Val, I know how hard it is to say goodbye. The grief is palpable Xx
PRO
speterson6
May 12, 2018
Wonderful animal portrait. Although you had a very handsome model. Great work scotia.
Stellasview
September 10, 2018
Yes,she is beautiful and you did such a magnificent job of capturing her beauty!
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EJMETZNER
November 02, 2018
This photo is stunning in simplistic elevation of the canine's look from the darkest portions surrounding the face. Excellent use of asymmetry with the fur. Would love to see more colours from eyes.
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scotia
January 04, 2019
Thank you for such considered critique - I really appreciate it! I tend to underexpose my captures, only reclaiming original detail & light rather than fabricating colours which simply are not there ;)
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patriciahansen
November 02, 2018
Join the conversation. Add a comment or even better, a critique. Let's get better together!
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deedeebruce
February 20, 2019
beautiful! We have a 10 month old red shepherd. Love love love this shot! Awesome!
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
...quite a good story behind this image! I was invited to photoshoot the owners horses & arrived as required, only to be met with a seemingly ferocious Soula, who stood with her paws on the gate post. Ever the opportunist, I wrestled my camera from my backpack & took a few snaps - since the background was dark green tree cover (& I had no time to check settings) I decided to run with the black background edit which has become somewhat synonymous with my portraits.Time
I was booked for 2pm if I remember correctly, but in Scotland's winter time of day is only ever "dark or not dark". Since I was shooting over a fence into dark greenery I was thankful for the little light I had.Lighting
I don't use anything other than natural light. Additionally, I deliberately underexpose all of my portraits & reclaim the light digitally. It's quite a lengthy process & involves more post work, but since my focus is only the subject expression it works well for me. I enjoy working at pixel level & seeing micro expressions - as owners we often overlook - appear from the darkness.Equipment
I only have one mid range Canon (EOS70D) & one kit lens, 18-200mm. No lights, backdrops & I'm always hand held. I live quite a frugal life, working three freelance job hats so for me any kit is a luxury. I do have a tripod! - I've simply not used it yet *grins*.Inspiration
I'm a graphic designer / web designer by trade & although I'd always aspired to photography I simply couldn't justify the expense. Then, July 13th 2017 - I suddenly lost the mare who had illuminated my whole adult life. Determined to achieve something positive, I began a project to capture the expressions of "Scotland's Horses" in her memory. Horse owners usually have dogs & as a dog lover myself - who could resist such an expressionful face!Editing
Yes. All my shots are deliberately underexposed. One reason being the limitations of my rig, the other because I'm an artist at heart with no TV! I enjoy working in detail to relight my images, creating utterly unique finals. I work in Photoshop using masked adjustment layers (usually curves or levels) to bring the natural light back, which I'll then paint to suit the photograph. To date I've never bought / used overlays or pre-purposed actions so my edit time is probably slower than most!In my camera bag
Folks would be SO disappointed with the contents of my bag! I have one camera, one lens & one UV filter. I usually carry four 32Gb cards, having learned my camera read speed is slower with larger. I also have an extensive array of squeakers, rattles & rustling things to catch the attention of my subjects.Feedback
I've been owned by horses & dogs my whole life & have a deep understanding for behaviours. I know when to wait & I know when to click - it's almost on a subconcious level, since I can anticipate their movements / expressions from one second to the next. The BEST advice I could offer is learn about skeletons & muscles - the range of movements & decide on the expressions you'd like to capture. ASK the owner! No-one knows a dog or horse more than the folks who feed & train them. For dogs - ask if there's a trigger word or phrase that gets their attention, like "goinginthecar" or "wheresyourbrother". I use a high pitched vocal unless they are being tricky - & sometimes, you DO have to say to an owner "would you mind if I postion your dog?" - take the collar / lead - then you drop your vocal range to low, strong, bold & sharp! The evolution of humans was built upon horses & dogs - I resonate, respect & reflect that to every subject.
