I shot a photo of my 3 year old Akita, Tsuki, and am looking for some feedback. I am working on a Dell LCD that isn't calibrated so all I can do is host, check on other screens to see how I like it and keep re-doing it all. A friend who looked at it on his proofing CRT said she looked like a silhouette, but on my screen she looks quite detailed.
Thoughts - I cannot tell if that is the crown of a hill but the trees do seem to tilt slightly.
I'd prefer a tighter frame to remove much of the otherwise drab, gray sky.
From the image it looks like a really dreary or hazy day - imo, you've done a good job getting as much from that as you could; next time compose so there isn't a tree appearing to grow out of her head (pets never cooperate, do they).
The dog's coat, on this monitor (calibrated) shows little or no detail. Also I think you'd be more pleased if the dog were facing the camera.
I have the same lens and have not had a chance to get to learn it's features yet and have not used a D50, but I'd recommend bumping the ISO to 3-400 so you can use a faster shutter speed - to me it appears that the dog's tail, rump, and hind legs are slightly blurred from motion?
I have little luck trying to photograph pets, unless they're asleep - otherwise end up with two nostrils fogging the UV filter which does not make for a good session, or at least some portion of the body is out of focus from movement.
Thanks for the comments. It was a very hazy morning and I do live on the decline of a hill. The tree growing out of her head did get me, but not as much as it does now.
I'll just have to take the camera out with me more and try to get a better one with less interference.
I generally find that animal shots, as with human shots, are better if you can see part of their face. The same shot taken from slightly in front of your dog, rather than slightly behind your dog, would have been better.
I think the bright sky dominates too much. Perhaps it should be toned down a bit to make it less distracting - assuming that the dog is the intended subject. The picture might have greater meaning for you but generally a half-rear view of an animal is less than ideal unless you can show what it is looking at too.
