Relaxing...

Best regards Panayotis!

PDE

The essential of this portrait is shown here,nice focus control,regards.

Lovely capture ... well done !! Like the tones you chose. Regards

A beautiful and lovely shot, Panayotis!

love this treatment! very good work

Excellent!

Your dog is like a bigger version of my Dad's dog. Very similar features, I am sure by your Bio Photo, a very good friend! Thanks for sharing, Gail

A beautiful and sensitive photo of your friend. I like that you got down on the same level to take the photo. The narrow depth of field and the reverse vignette fading the edges to light work well to give a sense of closeness and intimacy as if we are being let into the dog's world.  

Where the image fails significantly is with your manipulation of focus in the foreground on the left side of the frame along the front of the dog's snout and up the left side.  The blurring is too abrupt and as such it calls undue attention to the fact that the image was manipulated. The transition is too hard edged and needs reworking with a more feathered mask or wider softer brush.  Nice photo..... very cute dog.

My friends, thank you very much for your comments and flattering rates!

Gordon, you're absolutely right...this is the reason why I was a bit relactunt in publishing it.  But as you can see in the original shot below, the biggest part of the problem existed already.  I knew it but I was very fond of the picture and decided to give it a try..."Bobbie" doesn't like me approaching her with a camera :) she usually turns her face the other way, and I didn't want to miss that beautiful face :)  Cheers!

original shot D7000 w 35mm f/1.8 @ 3200 iso

...and to give you an idea of how she reacts, this is the look she gave me after the click and before turn the other way :) :)

Panayotis,

Thanks for the follow up. I now better understand, although I will admit to being somewhat perplexed by what is causing that odd distortion around Bobbie's nose. It looks like there was some out of focus object between your lens and Bobbie, an object on the floor perhaps. I do not recall having seen anything quite like that occur naturally before.  It could possibly be mitigated a bit in photoshop. I'm glad you decided to post the photo as it is a lovely image.

 I have two Great Pyrenees dogs Maggie and Darwin so I know that " don't point that camera at me " look :-)

I love the second photo you posted a very funny expression on Bobbie's face.

Best regards Gord

The think that surrounds Bobbie's nose is my wife's cardigan :)  If I would stretch my hand to move it aside she would have turned the other way.  So I said, what the heck, leave it as it is, I don't want to miss that shot..

Thanks again and give a big hug from me to Maggie and Darwin!  Take care my friend!

I forgot to mention that this is a very lovely image - taken carefully and with love.

I like the high key effect you have achieved here, it is a very personal and up close portrait that allows us to see the soft sensitive nature of your friend.  Technical issues aside I think it communicates to the viewer really well.

Best Regards

Alf