Gustave - 7 Weeks - B&W
Nov, 2019Views
949
Likes
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Outstanding Creativity
All Star
Magnificent Capture
Top Ranks
Top 20 rank
Top 30 rank
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 1
Top 20 rank
PRO+
Platinum
jackiegoodwin
December 01, 2019
so sweet and lovely on black and white - thank you for entering your lovely photo into my challenge "animals of any kind" - good luck
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
Hello fellow photographers. I took this photo in my backyard. Yep! Gustave was getting socialized with a new environment i.e. a new backyard, lawn furniture, agility equipment, flower beds, etc. He was accompanied by his mom and his 8 siblings. Yes! Nine 7 week old puppies roaming around in my backyard. Heaven on earth! It is extremely important for the puppies' development that they see as many new things, people and environments as possible in their first 4 months of life. This ensures they become well adjusted adult dogs. You see, Gustave was getting trained to become a service dog. He will work with autistic kids, kids that have to provide testimony in court, etc.Time
The photo was taken on a bright, sunny, fall afternoon. Taking photos under very bright sunlight is not recommended. Colors and shadows are then very harsh, unflattering. To make matters even more challenging, Gustave being a black and white dog, care had to be taken not to blow the highlights (overexpose the whites). If that happens, one can't extract details in the whites. It was important to capture detail in the fur. By exposing as far to the right as possible on the histogram, one can also keep details in the shadows. The solution? I waited until this beautiful boy went into the shade and then grabbed the shot.Lighting
Gustave finally went in the shade after some exciting but tiring exploration. That is what I was waiting for. If you look closely at his muzzle, you'll detect a few grain of sands. A new experience for the pups. :))Equipment
I took this photo with my Panasonic Lumix G9, a micro four thirds camera, and my Lumix G Vario 12-60mm f3.5-5.6 zoom. It was shot at ISO 1250, 42mm, f5.5, 1/100sec. No flash was needed at it was a very bright day.Inspiration
Well... No one needs inspiration to photograph beautiful puppies. It is challenging as they move constantly but it is a lot of fun. I admit, I took more pictures of Gustave since he is destined to great things. He is the first recruit of a new organization that will work with kids. I focused a bit more on him since I thought the organization might need photos to document the evolution of this very special boy.Editing
I did very little post-processing. I converted the photo to black and white. I did not want the washed out blue paint of the deck to detract from the puppy. I made sure to preserve details in the fur so I applied a tiny bit of sharpening. I brighten his eyes a bit to make they stand out more. I also applied a very light vignette.In my camera bag
I recently re-equiped myself with an inter-changeable lenses camera. I chose a Lumix G9 (with internal body stabilization). I chose the micro four thirds format because I almost always bring my camera when I walk my two dogs. Hence a small, lighter option was better for me. I own 3 zooms, for more flexibility. The 12-60mm described above, the Olympus 40-150mm F2.8 Pro lense and, a recent acquisition, the 100-400mm Leica DG-Vario-Elmar F4.0-6.3 zoom lens. All 3 lenses and my camera are weatherized since we sometimes get caught in rain or snow on our walks. In addition, I have two ProMaster extension tubes, a 10mm and 16mm. I recently bought a reverse-mount ring. Both of these are cheaper alternative to a dedicated macro lense. I find both systems give excellent results although a reverse ring has proved trickier to use because of the extremely narrow depth of field. More experimenting to come this spring. I have a light compact travel tripod with a gimbal head for travel. I've added a carbon fiber NEEWER tripod. Very good quality for the price. It comes with a gimbal head. I needed a stronger tripod to support the weight of my 100-400mm zoom lens. I also have a basic cleaning kit. All that fits in my ProMaster sling bag, model Impulse (large). To finish, I carry a microfiber cloth and a garbage bag. Why a garbage bag you ask? Because I can use it in the field to keep my camera bag dry. But most importantly, before I get back indoors after an outing in the cold, I put my camera bag in it and seal it. That allows the equipment to warm up slowly and thus prevents condensation from forming on it, something to avoid as much as possible.Feedback
Snap away! Many shots are needed to get a keeper. It might be a good idea to let the puppies play a bit before starting your photo session. That may help in getting slower moving subjects as they will be more tired...maybe. The one critical thing to remember is to position yourselves at eye level with the dog. It ensures a more intimate interaction between the viewer and your subject. Have fun!!!
