Millie and Ralph

[Markvetnz]

A few pics from tonight's shoot.

[RockNGoalStar]

Stunning! Absolutely stunning. I love them all. I think #4 is probably my favourite although I love his / her expression in #1.

Thanks for posting

[FrankMi]

Not your average DoF for this type of image. Stunning indeed!

Without the EXIF data available, I am more curious than ever to find out what you used for settings, lighting, and post processing.

[Mike Buckley]

All of them are terrific but I especially like the expression and softness of the first one and the clarity and detail of the fourth one.

[glenng]

Absolutely stunning but which on is Millie and which is Ralph

[Bobobird]

Stunning is the word. Beautifully executed.

[ggt]

I waaaaaaaaant two!

Please explain how you did the lighting? I love the dark background and the fullness of their pupils . . .

[rpcrowe]

The first thing that happened when I opened this thread was that I began to smile and my heart became happy... This feeling continued throughout as I viewed the images of these two gorgeous dogs. I often say that one breed or another is my favorite, however I think that the Swiss Mountain Dogs (all the several breeds) have some of the most beautiful faces in the world of dogs...

I would not have thought of using a black background for dark colored dogs but, it works great...

[Markvetnz]

Thank you so much for the positive comments. This was my first studio session with the new Canon 1DX. I used a Canon 85mm f1.2L II lens. Aperture was mostly at f11 but an occasional shot of both dogs was taken at F16. ISO was either at 100 or 200. Shutterspeed 125th second. The only issue I have with this lens, which people always tell me is "the" portrait lens from Canon, is the slow autofocus. It lumbers away for ages before it locks on. The low light focussing ability of the 1DX is not fantastic either. Strange for their top end camera.

These shots were taken as a leaving gift to an employee of mine. She has left afer 13 years with my company. She has had Bernese Mountain Dogs for as long as I can remember and I see these dogs every week. However, last night was the first time I have really appreciated just how beautiful they are. Millie (top 2 photos) is not nearly as impressive as Ralph in the flesh, but I found her easier to photograph. To me the expression in her eyes just says everything. I often find this to be the case with people too. Some of the best looking people are hard to do justice in a photo while others I least expect it from, make perfect models.

[jeeperman]

Very nicely handled in all respects Mark. I like #3 and #5 but truely all are very nice.

[terrib]

You have done a beautiful job with these gorgeous dogs. I love this breed. The lighting is perfect in dealing with the blacks in their coats and fading into the background. I especially like #2 and #4 as their expressions are wonderful. Thanks for sharing these with us.

[Mike Buckley]

Every single one of the images in this set has been selected as a favorite by at least one person. That pretty much speaks volumes about the quality of the set.

[Markvetnz]

Somebody asked about the lighting set up. I used a large octagonal soft box from the rhs placed ahead of the subject and facing downward toward the dog at about 45 degrees. A second rectangular smaller soft box was place left side at 90 degrees to the camera position placed low down in line with the dog's head. The lighting ratio was approximately 65/35 right/left. White Balance 5300. I used a Spydercube to set the WB. You will notice some shots brighter on the left. I simply moved the rhs light further away on these shots.

[Trina]

They are all stunning.. Beautiful pups! Great series!

[Dave Humphries]

Difficult to know how you'll make any further progress if this was the first session Mark

Well done,

[CMP]

They're all beautiful shots of stunning dogs, Mark. Four and five are my favourite ones though. Well done!