My brother and my dog

blackwaterstudio

Let me know which you like better and ways to improve.

20D
50 1.8
Sigma super 500 flash

#1 Black and White


#2 Color

rutt

Looks like the camera focused on the dogs nose (probably because the camera had a focus point there and it was the closest point with something in it, which was the 10D rule and I assume also the 20D rule.) To compensate, I think you oversharpened. The result is that it looks oversharpened and the dog still is in better focus than the human.

I don't know how to fix this problem in post. I suppose you could crop the dog out. Perhaps unsharpened would work better? But I've found that I have to make sure to get the focus right when I shoot.

wxwax

Good feedback from Rutt. It's a nice pose and the lighting works in the color shot - excellent color in the young man's face. The doggie face disappears a bit in the color shot. Have your tried a duotone for the B&W, might help give it a bit more depth?

winger

I think I know this dogs cousin

Actually he is staring at me right now... I think he wants a walk or something

blackwaterstudio

Thanks guys.

Cute dog Winger

DoctorIt

Rutt is right on, I noticed the oversharpening in the color version for sure. Judging by their expressions, I'm sure those two won't put up too much of a fight for a re-shoot!

pathfinder

rutt wrote:

Looks like the camera focused on the dogs nose (probably because the camera had a focus point there and it was the closest point with something in it, which was the 10D rule and I assume also the 20D rule.) To compensate, I think you oversharpened. The result is that it looks oversharpened and the dog still is in better focus than the human.

I don't know how to fix this problem in post. I suppose you could crop the dog out. Perhaps unsharpened would work better? But I've found that I have to make sure to get the focus right when I shoot.

I think the color is excellent, but I think John's comment abut being focused on the dogs nose is spot on - er: correct, that is. It might be possible to select the boy's face and sharpen it and then selct the dog's nose but not its eyes and Gblur them just the tiniest bit to try and balance the sharpness in the image overall better.

And why does the dog only have one ear too?

blackwaterstudio

pathfinder wrote:

I think the color is excellent, but I think John's comment abut being focused on the dogs nose is spot on - er: correct, that is. It might be possible to select the boy's face and sharpen it and then selct the dog's nose but not its eyes and Gblur them just the tiniest bit to try and balance the sharpness in the image overall better.

And why does the dog only have one ear too?

The other ear is pressed against my bro's face

gubbs

what aperture was this shot with??

tmlphoto

gubbs wrote:

what aperture was this shot with??

I have found that when taking "head shots" or upper torso shots with more than one subject, you have to be very careful to stop down the aperture in order to get enought DOF for both sets of eyes to be sharp. Also I have found it very helpful to select an AF point manually that is close to the eyes and then use the focus, recompose method.

When I got my 50mm 1.4 I was trying to get some available light head shots of my daughter. At the wide apertures I was discouraged to find that the depth of field was very small. For a head shot the area of sharp focus is less than an inch. If the nose was sharp, the eyes would not be. At f1.4 the ears are very blurry, even if the eyes are in sharp focus.

dkapp

jdsphotography wrote:

Let me know which you like better

I like the dog better

blackwaterstudio

dkapp wrote:

I like the dog better

Yea me to D

Av was 1.8. I know I should have bumped it up, and next time I will