single photos Angel the Ovcharka

This is Angel, an 8 month old East Asian Ovcharka. The Ovcharka is

the oldest breed of dog in the world, unchanged for 4000 years. This is

the first ever studio portrait of an Ovcharka taken in the UK.

Really like it! The background is perfect, really gets the focus on the dog and complements it well. The facial expression of the dog is priceless. How did you get it to look up this attentively without jumping or moving?

Great and very funny!

I agree with previous commentators. Great shot. Composition is perfect. great model...I hope you paid well.

Great expression....very funny! I like this presentation

 

Best regards, Pamela

Wonderful portrait of a rare breed - 7/7 for me.

 

Best, David

Christopher, this is great. What an adorable, goofy expression. Your animal shots are amazing, I love your work. All the best, Linda

Never heard of the breed (and I'm in the business ...a DVM). What a cool lookin' dog!!! Marvelous personality in this photo!!

I really like what you’ve done with this shot. Your photos and post processing skills are impressive!

Please note the following:

• This image has been selected for discussion. It is not necessarily the "best" picture the Elves have seen this week, nor is it a contest.
• Discussion of photo.net policy, including the choice of Photograph of the Week should not take place here, but in the Help & Questions Forum.
• The About Photograph of the Week page tells you more about this feature of photo.net.
• Before writing a contribution to this thread, please consider our reason for having this forum: to help people learn about photography. Visitors have browsed the gallery, found a few striking images and want to know things like why is it a good picture, why does it work? Or, indeed, why doesn't it work, or how could it be improved? Try to answer such questions with your contribution.

It's cute and nicely done. I like the colors, the way the yellow-gold-orange background interacts with the dog's cream and brown tones. I like the way it's basically a symmetrical composition without the symmetry being too perfect. But it's ultimately a pretty empty image. If the photographer could apply his obvious skill to something more meaningful, he might have something.

One more thought: Is this dog really an ovcharka? He doesn't look much like one, to judge from other pictures I found in a quick Google search. But I'm not a dog breed expert, and it could be that the angle of the shot gives a misleading impression of the shape of the head and ears.

I am not sure if Christopher is shooting pets for people or commercially or for stock or ????? But I really like his portfolio. There is no confusion as to what he does, he makes odd, fun animal/pet portraits with lots of personality. Like many times here on the POW, I don't know that this is his best, it doesn't really hint at what more he does but fits perfectly well in his body of work. It is well done and lit (for what it is--I don't think the lighting is really creative, but it works for what it is). Unfortunately, it just doesn't really doesn't exhibit the character, personality and fun of his portfolio and website. That isn't a negative, except if you don't look at the rest of his work.

Nice shot.

First impressions, I've heard, are the ones that matter. When I first looked at this photo, I'm thinking to myself, based on some of last week's POW's critiques, here we go again looking up the nostril(s) of another subject! But this photo takes exception! So much for the humorous side of my critique.
On a more serious approach, I'm not too impressed with the orange to yellow background because it seems to be just too bright. Perhaps toning it down a notch or two would be better for me. I've never heard of this particular breed, but you have captured a very lovely looking animal with a melt-your-heart expression on its face! Really like the heavy eyelashes!
No doubt others will disagree with my opinion(s) but a matte or border would have also added to this capture.
With all that I've said, I still think this is a very good/great capture of man's best friend. Best regards.

Christopher has put more thought than many people would into this picture of a dog, and as a result we get a photograph that makes us smile with the straight-on view, eyes rolled up higher, and a bright yellow background gradient that perks up the whole frame. He takes this fun view to other animal photos as well, and this POW and his portfolio will be greatly enjoyed by those who attempt photos of pets (P.net has an entire category devoted to pets) and other animals or who simply appreciate the small but rewarding act of smiling at photos of animals in our lives.

I like this picture. For me the primary strength of the image is the forced perspective which puts that big nose and red tongue right in your face and leads you up to the eyes. I like that the focus carries solidly from nose to the eyebrows, too. I like the square composition especially with the upward gaze which really makes the shot. The background seems fine. There is a direct simplicity to the approach that I like. Nothing fancy, no big hook, no song and dance, just all dog mug. If I were the dogs owner, I'd be glad to display a print of that image.

I love it... Made me smile at first glance... Lighting is standard but fits perfectly. Same for the happy fruity background. Main point being that the expression and angle are fantastic. What else can one ask from a simple picture of a dog ? Perfect for ads as well... I sure hope you do sell your pictures for stock and such...? All the best.

Awwwwww--ceee-ute !! If you love animals you have to love the photograph in spite of its imperfections.
Is this a good photo? It is pretty good. It has no pretensions of being Art. It is not contrived. It is not photoshopped as far as I can see. It is an affectionate photograph, both in terms of the photographer the dog. It is a photograph that makes you feel good. It is a successful photograph in being very likable.

But is it a great photograph? No.

We have a dominant tongue in this image. It is well exposed and very sharp. The tongue's rendering is clinical. It looks good enough to eat. Unfortunately, the brilliance of the tongue comes at the expense of the rest of the dog, who becomes increasingly increasingly gloppy as you look upward. The eyes ought to be as interesting as the tongue, or more so. But they are breary.
It's a charming photograph and that is enough. A masterpiece it is not.

Viewing this image and those of Christopher's portfolio gives an inescapable feeling that he respects his animal subjects, even though he uses them to make humorous (and essentially human) statements. These may not be very insightfull into the nature of the animals, but they convey a tender relation between photographer and subject. What are perhaps conventionally lit images, mainly in the studio, are transformed by the use of very wide angle or close up lenses to give them an intriguing quality. Again, as in most POWS, the ability to view the photographer's portfolio is the main reward for visiting this forum.

I love dogs, and this photo is wonderful .... looks like a cartoon! the expression with upturned eyes is really powerful and the whole is enhanced by the uniform background with a color in sharp contrast

Why not? A simple clean comp that could bring a smile to most faces. No major nits from me. Looks like an easy dare I say begginer subject (not saying you are) but As a multi-dog owner I know how hard it can be to get them to stay put and land the good shot. Nice job.

A wondefully embarrassed expression, brought on I imagine by having lost his acres of hairy coat?

Not too sure looking at the photo on my monitor but.....what part of the dog is in focus?

A cute & humorous photo of the family or someone else's dog. The shot is well done. But, POW?

If for no other reason, I like this photograph simply because it makes me smile and holds my interest for a longer than usual time.

But there are other reasons, too. Even though I'm primarily a black and white photographer, I like the vivid colours in this, not to mention the detail. I've never been a big fan of brightly coloured backgrounds, but for some reason it works for me in this shot. I also think the lighting is outstanding. The photograph is in keeping with Christopher's reality-based humour shown in his other photographs of animals. It's a semi-serious shot with an element of fun in it...and as I always say, if you can't have a bit of fun now and then with this photography thing, what's the point in it?

On another note, I think for someone to say, "If the photographer could apply his obvious skill to something more meaningful, he might have something" is counter-productive and serves no purpose. As stated by Photo.net, the purpose of the POTW is "to help people learn about photography." We're here to critique the photograph, not the subject or the photographer's choice of genre.

So kudos to Christopher for the POTW.