timkeller 0 Posted October 13, 2008 Beautifully composed (despite working with difficult models). I love your b&w: bold, dramatic, eye-catching, and sharp as a tack. If the rest of your New Mexico shots are anything like this, I'll continue to be thrilled. Link to comment
photis santamouris 23 Posted October 13, 2008 Out and about,among stray dogs and a very interesting new scenery,ha?Just don't tell me it isn't an exciting new experience,'cause I won't believe you.This is so much different than town captures,but above all,it conceives a sense of a relaxed wandering to new places,discovering exciting spots and experiencing a different kind of life and people,should be very rewarding IMO.Most of us photographers would love to be somewhere like the places you visit and spend a wonderful time,enjoying life,family,landscapes and photography.Viewed larger,the image offers great detail and adorable dynamic range.Be well my friend.PS:It was about time for me to get jealous with YOUR travels! Link to comment
katherineerickson 0 Posted October 13, 2008 Great shot and story Jeff! Best Regards Katherine Link to comment
godfather 0 Posted October 13, 2008 What a great photograph you have done. I'm a fan of b/w images and yours have so great tones that it's only a pleasure to view. The dogs makes a dramatic difference in there. Grats for the perfect job. Link to comment
ldavidson 4 Posted October 13, 2008 Jeff, as a dog lover and a mother (one time La Leche League member) I hope that poor old yellow lab really isn't a stray. She looks well fed. This is a wonderful image, I love the light on the road, illuminating the dogs. I looks like you may have used some Photoshop effect the make it grainy? Whatever effect, or not, I love this image. Link to comment
Emmanuel Enyinwa 0 Posted October 13, 2008 Beautiful tones here, Jeff. The dogs take on an almost human quality, and the enveloping darkness adds an ominous overtone. Nice work, amigo. Link to comment
LindaM 2 Posted October 13, 2008 nice and moody....great texture and tone...looks like it just rained....if only those dogs could talk, i bet they'd have some stories to tell! Link to comment
alberto_quintal 2 Posted October 14, 2008 Great work in this shot, I love it. Alberto Link to comment
amalsircar 2 Posted October 14, 2008 Very good composition and tone,Jeff. Contrast enhances the beauty of the image. Link to comment
pnital 36 Posted October 14, 2008 Has to be seen large in order to see the fineness of details especially of the road ,but not only. ! the light and B/W are wonderful. looks like a side road,a bit deserted, with two B/W...;-)) dogs as company....It is a touching scene, has a nice calmness and it is very well composed. I was in this area some years ago, this brings memories ....Thanks as well for this. I hope you have enjoyed the change. Link to comment
jeffl7 0 Posted October 14, 2008 Tim: Thanks for saying such nice things. These dogs were rambling all over the road, requiring that we stop the car completely. I think they were looking for a photo opportunity as much as I was. Photis: We stayed the night at the only hotel (that I know of) on the reservation. The morning was uncharacteristically rainy and dim. Most of the shots are blurry because I couldn't get the camera steady enough with the dim light. This one worked, however. Thanks. Ruud: Thank you. The lighting was rough to manage, but somehow it worked out on this one. Katherine: Thanks for describing this one as holding a story. I thought so, too, but I wasn't sure if anyone else would. Tero: I'm working on my B&W work these days. Thanks. Linda D: When Deb did a medical rotation on the Zuni reservation in NM, a little black stray puppy adopted her. He had mange, worms, and all sorts of other medical issues. She took him home with her back to Massachusetts, and like Clifford (aka Big Red Dog), he grew into an 80 lb. love-monster. Jake unfortunately died quickly of some type of neurological issue shortly after we brought Gabi home. We went back last week to Zuni to return his ashes, but decided we couldn't leave him alone there. So, we brought his ashes back with us to be laid to rest next spring alongside my dearly departed dog Alamo who was his friend and nemesis for about five of his nine years. Emmanuel: These dogs seemed framed well by the light. Sometimes you make a shot and sometimes it finds you. This one was luck of the draw. Linda M: I'm sure they had stories. The lighter dog was obviously nursing, but no sign of puppies anywhere. Thanks. Alberto: Thanks so much. A.K.: The light was a little drab, so I punched the contrast a wee bit. Too much? Pnina: The vacation was much needed. There were many quiet moments--time to clear my head. Quiet moments are rare with two little kids, as you can imagine. It was nice to be away, but we talked endlessly about the kids. We've become the couple we used to complain about. Bob: Thanks!!! Link to comment
cherlyn 1 Posted October 14, 2008 The way they look back seem that they are hoping/longing for someone to adopt them. The tone & B/W does give this a dramatic feel. Link to comment
Guest Guest Posted October 14, 2008 Kind of an iconic dog photo. Feels larger than life, like universal themes are being explored. They are so stark against their landscape, the road leading . . . ? Your treatment of the road gives it an ethereal quality, as if it could disappear under their feet. Lighting is great, as if it just rained and the sun's rays are peaking through again. Great positioning and the right moment. I become connected by the dog's look right at the camera. In many ways, it's a portrait, in some ways a landscape photo. Unsure about the pedestrian sign above and to the right. Link to comment
timzeipekis 5 Posted October 14, 2008 What a great shot, I love the dramatic contrasts, very well composed........you are obviously working with professional talent, just look at those poses LOL Link to comment
Donna Stavis 0 Posted October 14, 2008 Hi Jeff, I like the causalness going down the road (even a symbolical road of life) and meeting up with some dogs, which have such different views of life. The neighbor's dog up the hill has adopted me. I'll open the door and he'll pounce out of nowhere, making me late. And I carry him to the indifferent owner and point to the busy street; she shrugs uncomprehending.... I like the sparkling road, darker "people" area -- a nice interlude with dogs. Glad you liked your vacation. Link to comment
afshinazizi 0 Posted October 14, 2008 Beautiful image.Nice subject.Great use of atmoshpere.Sky mood and clouds style are too attractive for me in this scene.And the best thing in this work is the lights on the road,in my opinion.Dogs are playing great role in this work too.Best Wishes Link to comment
katzpjs 50 Posted October 15, 2008 I like your conversion to b&w for this and that one of the dogs has turned to look directly back at us. Rainy morning such as this make for good photography if the sun happens to peek through for some lighting. I viewed the image larger and smiled at the thought of doing some minor editing of the street sign on the right to show a silhouette of a dog crossing the street instead of a person. A nice shot, I like it. Link to comment
gordonjb 10,860 Posted October 15, 2008 This image leaves me lost for words. It touches some deep nerve in my soul that I cannot articulate. This is one of the most touching images I have seen in a very long time. I carry around a camera in the hopes of one day taking a photo as moving as this. Link to comment
adan1 0 Posted October 15, 2008 The atmosphere and tones are fantastic. The dogs are outcasts that long for a connection and provoke empathy. It's interesting to note the sign in the background of a man crossing, alluding to the transient lifestyle of our protagonists. Link to comment
bob_belanger 1 Posted October 15, 2008 I wonder if the white one is posing while the other dog shows his indifference? Kind has a third world feel to it, such as the dogs are taking over. Link to comment
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