I love dogs, and I think this is a good, candid shot of what is obviously a good boy or girl. I'd call this a candid portrait. It's sharp all around, has a relatively non-distracting background, and a compelling story. They can be be tough to photograph sometimes too. Their very black fur (sometimes) can pose real challenges to exposure, and this guy's does.

Phone cameras are very powerful tools these days, and even PSA promotes "phoneography" education. A few years ago some buddies and I spent a month using only our phones, which kind of forced us to focus on composition. Their use is not to be discounted. But, phones usually lack control. As you know, I'm in favor of leveraging automation and technology, but I feel like I always need to be able to go to manual over-ride when I'm not getting what I need.

In this case, I think the exposure could be improved a bit. It might be a touch flat, which I think is probably the result of trying to get that black fur properly exposed. I've faced this myself. But it's a fun shot, and I think captures something in the dog.   Posted: 04/09/2021 00:15:19

Hi Bernie, some things got Dixie's attention. Nice catch light in her eye. The eye(s) make or break a portrait in my opinion and this one is super. The only problem I have is the bottom of Dixie's mouth is the same tone as the background. I would consider cloning some grass there or perhaps it's edited somehow- it just doesn't look right (sorry I'm not a pro at commenting that's for sure!). There is also a black splotch right below her ear I would clone out. I would consider adding a vignette-sometimes a white vignette works better. Dogs are so dang hard to photograph. Cats are even harder. It takes a lot of patience! Nice one.   Posted: 04/13/2021 00:57:40

You captured her look perfectly and nice detail on her coat. A couple of suggestions...for a non golfer, I would not recognize this as a golf cart without you saying so. To make the story clearer, maybe stepping back a bit? There is also something going on under her muzzle and on her right front leg. I'm not sure if it is sun flare or what. The sharpening also seems just a bit too much leaving a halo below her left ear and much of her fur a bit crunchy. This is a good reminder that the best camera is the one you have with you.   Posted: 04/13/2021 15:32:40

Bernie this is a fabulous capture of your dog. What a great picture to have forever to remember her. We lost our dog 3 months ago and I cherish every photo. I might try b/w version to get rid of the collar color. The red tends to draw my eye away from her face. Maybe crop up a bit. That's it.   Posted: 04/25/2021 13:52:06