terriv

Trying to achieve some level of competency for dog portraits. Mine seem to be awww cute... but lack pasazz!! Any suggestions would be welcomed..

Nikdon D90 , 24-85 mm lens.. sb900 wireless - power 1/8, zoom 105, APt F11 (pictures taken in sun room ) a lot of light but not enough to effectively use). Shutter 250.

donrent Loc: Punta Gorda , Fl

Well, I am not a portrait taker, but heres what I see....

The shadow... Lighting not proper.. Should be more disfused...

The red background blends into the dog coat.. very distracting...

The red brightness too strong and probably the wrong color... You want a background where the dog is the strong color...

Good composition tho.... Cute lil devil....

gdwsr Loc: Northern California

Ditto Donrent. Also a little milky reflection in his eyes.

GoofyNewfie Loc: Kansas City

You can start by using something as cheap an an umbrella to soften the light, reducing the shadows. (look for one that will let you "shoot-through" http://mpex.com/strobist/light-controls-modifier/umbrellas.html?limit=all
Direct flash is rarely flattering on anything unless you really know what you're doing.
The diffusion domes that come with the flash don't do much at all to soften the light. You need a big light source for that.

You may be ready for the Strobist website and the "Lighting 101 archives":
http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/03/lighting-101.html
Using umbrellas: http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/03/lighting-101-umbrellas.html

lovemypups Loc: Kentucky

Hi terriv and welcome :) I too am fairly new to this site as well as to photography. I tried around xmas to get my first portrait of my dogs using some material I had stored and knew I would never use. I really wanted to use black as my background but didn't have enough so ended up trying the black first, and then switched to green using the black on the floor for them to lay on. I too agree, the red blends in with the scarf which takes away from your little sweetheart, and I wish I could see more of him/her. I stayed away from flash and just used my overhead light and light from the window because of the reflection in the eyes. For a first time, not bad and keep trying. I played with it for quite a while until the dogs got tired of it. I'm hoping to try it again very soon. This is a great forum with lots of folk who will help out-they have been more than kind and helpful to me :) Keep posting and my middle name is now: practice!
Debbie

Kinopless Loc: Mandurah, Western Australia

Personally I'd suggest that you get your dogs outside and involved with nature, that's usually where they are the happiest.
And please lose the ribbons and bows, it's so unnatural and competes with the dog's face for attention in your photographs.
It doesn't make them cuter, they're plenty cute enough as it is..
Whatever you do keep trying.. Good luck.

Wheezie

instead of using direct flash, can you bounce your flash off the ceiling or walls that are white? You could create a not so harsh image. You can also use window light with a reflector to also create a better image. try experimenting with different ways to use your flash...
good luck!