Paddock Play Time

[TrishBJ]

This is my very first post!
It's an image of a couple of working dogs at play during a break from their morning's work. We were lucky enough to be invited by one of our farming neighbours to come and watch as they did some work with their sheep and lambs. A fun way to spend an overcast and otherwise gloomy morning.

Comments welcome. Please bear in mind that I'm very much a post-processing beginner. Detailed hints are therefore like gold. I have LightRoom and PhotoShop CC.

[Shadowman]

Hi Trish,

Is there a reason you chose this particular composition, were you afraid or unable to get closer? It's nice to show the environment the dogs are in, but would have made for a better shot if the pups were the center of attention.

[TrishBJ]

Hi John,
In this instance I was wanting to show the fire with the billy can, and the rural environment the dogs were playing in. More of a narrative than a portrait. The dogs are friendly, but tend to stop what they are doing and wait for instructions if you get up close. Perhaps I should have cropped it differently? Maybe next time......the farmer in question is doing work with the sheep tomorrow so might get a second bite if it's not raining.

Framing is something I struggle with. Do I want a close up? If so, just how close? Do I want to tell a narrative and show the 'whole' picture. How whole is 'whole'? It is difficult to decide. My favourite view of a subject varies with mood and day to day. My husband's opinion is often very different to mine. It's torturous!

[IzzieK]

From your explanation to John, you had achieved what you want to show...but on the other hand, your title is not in concert with your shot...As a "whole" to me there are a lot going on here...the billy pot is a good example with the dogs and at the back, there is a pathway leading to ??? That part is also a good aspect for another shot...where does the path lead to? -- kind of image. Imagine the tall trees and the path leading to somewhere...the billy boiling is another subject altogether...and the dogs...aahhh the dogs playing...it's their playtime, the subject of the title...well, I think showing the environment in the title is OK but there is too much of it. Just my thoughts...

[Shadowman]

Trish,

Agree with Izzie on simplifying the composition somewhat. Perhaps you can achieve your personal goals by changing your angle of view; getting down to the pups level while getting a bit closer, this way you can get some of the environment in the shot while centering in on the pups activity.

[Manfred M]

Trish - wanting to show the fire an billy can, rather than concentrating on the dogs, weakens the shot considerably. All you are doing is confusing your viewers as to whether the shot is about the billy can on the fire or the two dogs.

You are trying to introduce two subjects into a single image and that rarely works. You really have two separate images and should treat them as such. The woods in the background are an unneeded distraction and choosing a higher shooting angle which eliminates them would strengthen the shot as well.

[Rob Ekins]

Trish,
I agree with John about getting down to their level, that perspective generally works across the board with dogs and kiddies...as you say though that can be hard with working dogs, perhaps your hubby could help by being off camera to control/direct them. (Not saying you need him there to control them)

The EXIF data for your image says you shot at 48mm, maybe a longer focal length would help you be less conspicuous to the dogs.

Below is an image of Sarge, shot at 75mm but cropped heavily, I was maybe 15-20m away when our eyes met.



Sarge the working dog. by Rob From Sydney, on Flickr

[TrishBJ]

Thanks everyone, all great advice. I can see that I was trying to include too many subjects in the one frame. Robbie, I like the photo of Sarge. Manfred, thanks for the crops. They do show how the single subjects are more powerful than the combination.