I've been trolling for years and have posted a few times in the BST forum. I thought I'd post a photo for critique. I love the photo. I guess if I were to change anything I might stop down a bit so her nose is in better focust. But for some strange reason it works for me. I guess it highlights her eyes.

What do you guys think?

By the way, I've recently switched from a Canon 20D to a Nikon D70s just to see what platform I like better. I'll probably move up to a D200 or D300 in a few months if I stick with Nikon. So far I like the D70s just fine.

Great Shot! I just wish her ears were up. Well, maybe not. It's still a good shot.
Ken

The picture captures her eyes and and is interesting. The framing is pretty good with ample on all sides and eyes are not centred.

However for me, she is a bit too centred in the frame and I find the tiny legs behind distracting. The background is okay because you have converted to b/w but it still is not complementary to the picture. And I agree with the previous post that ears up would be much better.

Personally I think a head shot with ears up and lots of bokeh would be more pleasing as a portrait of a friend.

However its your dog and if you like it then its good. I have lots of pictures of my goofy children that would hang on my wall but not on yours.

Bizarre, amusing, neat! Brings a big smile to my face
Scott G

talk about 'dog nose effect'!

Scott Stoness wrote:
The picture captures her eyes and and is interesting. The framing is pretty good with ample on all sides and eyes are not centred.

However for me, she is a bit too centred in the frame and I find the tiny legs behind distracting. The background is okay because you have converted to b/w but it still is not complementary to the picture. And I agree with the previous post that ears up would be much better.

Personally I think a head shot with ears up and lots of bokeh would be more pleasing as a portrait of a friend.

However its your dog and if you like it then its good. I have lots of pictures of my goofy children that would hang on my wall but not on yours.

Thanks for the comments and critiques guys. As for the ears, she's a sweet heart and shooting that close (especially looking right at her) it's almost impossible to get a shot of her ears up.

A little history, she was adopted from Missouri Pit Bull Rescue Center. She's half Boxer and half Pit Bull. She was abused badly and is a very submissive dog. Pulling their ears back shows submission and that's the way she is with anyone that gets close to her. She's showing you that she won't challenge your athority and that you're the Alpha. She's still happy and wags her tail, but it's just her personality.

I actually like the little feet at the bottom, it adds a comical element to the photo and reinforces the goofy smile on her face. Those are the reasons I decided to keep it. And with the 18-55, that's the widest appreture I could get it. I was supprised I got the amount of bokeh I did. My 80-200 f/2.8 is a little long for a shot like this.