August- September Assignment Calendar Photos

[F, Calla & Luca]

Back by popular demand we are doing calendar photos this month. This should give us plenty of time to get photos, critique them,  and in general try to help each other in this tough competition : ) I am copying some of Adina's past guidelines so you will have an idea of what's acceptable, assuming they will remain the same. I will also track down some of the back and forth we had about what's she looking for as far as content when I get a chance. Please only post photos that meet the minimal guidelines. We should all try to be honest in our comments. Sometimes I think we try to be nice , always a good thing, but avoid helpful criticism , which can also be a good thing. In this instance helpful criticism is to be encouraged I think.

Update: Adina's Guidelines

Update: 2011 Calendar Submission announcement

Update:  This assignment is going to continue for the month of September

For those of you asking about cameras and editing, this was taken with my Nikon D90, and I did barely any editing. See, no snow on Calla's nose

The original:

My submission, later cropped a bit more for the 2011 labradoodle calendar cover:

 

Update: Here are some more discussions that may give you more ideas of what Adina prefers. You have to wade through them.

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4)

***** If you crop, and you should only do this judiciously, the photos need a MINIMUM of 1800 x 2300 pixels when Adina submits them. It's better to leave a margin for error, Adina can fiddle with the size if she loves your picture and needs to crop a little.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Thanks Mike. Honestly, I'm just getting used to the camera again, since I haven't used it much til recently. I never learned it all that well to begin with. I'm hoping to get some shots at the beach. Luca's always hard to keep up with the eye visibility but I love to see eyes too. Calla needs her outside eye area trimmed. It never ends does it?

[Ann Kendig]

Hopefully you will have blue skies and fluffy white clouds at the beach. If it is cloudy it is really easy for the sky to blow out and just be a white blob. If that is the case minimize the amount of sky in the photo.  Mike

Sky is blown out above.  The second shot was framed to exclude the sky and just the hill is in the background.  I liked the expressions of Sheba and Duke better in the first photo but I do not like the big blob of nothingness for the sky.  I guess I could photoshop in a sky.

Ultimately if you and your doodles are having fun that is what is important but if you get a great shot you get a bonus!  You said you shot hundreds of shots we shot thousands and that may sound crazy but for me it is a hobby both Ann and I enjoy taking pictures of doodles especially me.  F. keep on shooting.  That perfect shot is out there.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Thanks for the encouragement and tips, Mike. We all need them.

[Mike, Cedar and Reno]

I like the last action shot.  There's nothing like pups frolicking around.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Like you, F., I don't have  the ONE.  I really love your #4 action shot.  I do love action shots and mine are always blurry. I like #1 but wonder if it should have the entire dog?  Same for # 3.  The branch blocks the mouth in #2 so what if you crop out the back dog entirely? In photos, Calla and Luca have grown to look so much alike, I am not sure I can tell them apart.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Funny you say that. Some people, who see them rarely say the same thing. To me, "the mom" they look entirely different: )And they really do have entirely different coats and faces.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

They really do look different, I know, but in some of the pictures while they look different, one gets confused from shot to shot of who is who.  I know some people who thing Ned and Clancy look alike - but they must be blind!

[Linda, Webber and Seda]

I love #4. It shows doodles in all their glory.

[Katie, John & Parker pup]

Cute doodles. I have an off topic question: where do you bring your guys to get groomed? (If I remember correctly, you live near me) I am afraid to take Parker to just any groomer because I don't want him coming back looking like a poodle!

[Linda and "Toby"]

Hi F! I like #1 and #4 the best, also! As Mike said, you may want to adjust the brightness and warm it a tad.

[Ann Kendig]

Ann and I tried a fall foliage shot here.  Ann really does not care for this photo.  She says the back ground looks like some Olan Mills back drop and fake.  I like the shot. All comments welcome.  Ann being the DK member is the one who submits the photos and passes final judgment so this shot may get the axe.  Mike

 

[F, Calla & Luca]

Sorry Mike, I agree with Ann. The dogs don't look like part of the scene. Plus I've seen your dogs look much better. Did you ramp up the contrast? You can be a member too but I suspect Adina will still give you only 5 shots each. But you wouldn't have to sign your name.