Sleepyhead
by paganini

Comment:
Aw, looks like my Vinnie when he's all stretched out. Normally, in a regular challenge, this would get a 6 to an 8 from me but this was a potrait challenge and since I can't really see his face...............feet are nice but I like the faces better :)

The DOF is excellent, the hair on his foot (the stray one, not the regular hair) is a bit distracting and the angle is off to me, you might have intended it to be that way but it make the floor look like it's tilting and I keep thinking the poor dog is going to slip out of the shot! ;)

A 5

How the West Was Won
by AJFI

Comment:
Cute idea and it has great potential. But the lighting is very harsh, wiping out all detail on the black cat. Black animals in general are so hard to photograph, that much I really know having 2 black cats myself and a couple of black horses at the barn! ;) THe use of flash in this shot caused the harsh light on the covered wagon top and the reflection in the cat's eyes and is very distracting. If you could diffuse the flash or bounce it so it's not so harsh that too would help. And maybe the angle of the shot, if you could get the cat to sit inside the wagon top and shoot more from the side? A 5

Bun Bun
by mlhop05

Comment:
Awww, so cute! This shot has a great deal of potential. I like the soft focus used here, not usually a big fan but it seems to work with this shot, but then again, just a tad too soft for my overall taste. Was that clear as mud for ya? :) Wrapping Bun Bun in the blanket or scarf or whatever that is helps add color to the shot but the colors are very hot while the rabbit and background are muted in comparison, taking away from the main subject of the rabbit. Maybe softer lighting to diffuse the color or finding a different color to use? Also the cropping seems a bit loose, using my magic envelopes I took off both sided and the bottom, leaving only the black on the top and having the blanket frame the rabbit more and WOW, there is a big difference, the colors aren't so hot without the black to contrast it so much. If you work with this, I would love to see the finished photo. A 5

My Bone!
by Sonda

Comment:
Okay, started a comment on this one and then got distracted and lost it! ;) THis is a very cute candid shot but not really portrait style to me. If the smaller dog was more in the picture and looking at the bone it might be alot closer to the portrait style. The cropping is fine on the larger dog, it doesn't hurt having the ear or tail cut off, at least not in a picture :) But the black and white doesn't work very well in this case because thre is no definite white area. It's all grays and black, no contrast or element to really make it pop. A 5

Stripes on Stripes
by yogiboo17

Comment:
I know for a fact you have heard about the size a million times already and we already talked about that, will try to find some on line tutorials that will help with that. Otherwise this is a great shot! I love the expression on the cat's face, the lines going both ways, one doesn't overpower the other and yes, the foot getting cut off is a bit distracting but also lends to taking you in or out of the picture as a line of reference. Also, I can see the horse on the rug in the background, LOL :) I give you a 5 to start but am bumping to a 6 because the shot is good, just a bit small :O

Tucker
by prefishing

Comment:
I really like this shot for a couple of reasons but there is also a major distracting factor at the same time. The background seems very dark to me and clashes more with the dog then accents him. The lighting is not bad but if more evenly distributed and not casting the shadows it would be great. The expression on the dog's face is perfect, the attentive eyes, the slight tilt of the head, just like you would have a person do. Taking my magic envelope I cut off a little bit more on the right, taking the dog off center just a bit, leaving more of the negative space on the left, another huge difference. Maybe try a different, lighter background, or back light the dog to lighten up the background. This would be a great shot in front of a hedge or tall bushes with some late afternoon sun. Hope this helps! :)

nap sfter bath
by loudzgamer

Comment:
You actually gave the cat a bath or did he/she do it themselves, LOL! :)

Very nice candid shot of your cat but not really portrait style. If the cat was sitting up and you came in more, using the ferns for your backdrop that would be excellent portrait quality. As the picture is there is so much competing for my attention that the cat almost gets lost in the shot. A 5

I'm Such A Tease ... But Very Cute!
by PhantomEWO

Comment:
Yes, very cute indeed! This model has the potential to be great with the right lighting and focus and background. As it is there is a big yellow/orange cast on the shot and the background almost blends into the dog itself. Sometimes this can work to your advantage, but this time it doesn't. A 5 for the the compositon and cute factor :)

Alfalfa
by prefishing

Comment:
Awww, so sweet! Love the hair! This is a great candid of your dog, not quite the portrait set up with the backdrop, usually when you have just head shots the backdrop is more solid so it doesn't distract like this one does. Also the DOF seems very shallow, the nose is in perfect focus but before you even get 1/2 to the eyes the sharpness disapates and while not fuzzy on the dog, I would have liked to seen the whole dog's face in focus. Also the color a just a tad dull, but you have a great subject there, don't stop trying! If you ever reshoot, I'd love to see the shots as I used to have a dog that looked just like Alfalfa here, his name was Jake and he was a great dog. :) A 5 for this shot. :)

Ok so it's not cuddly.
by zarniwoop

Comment:
No they aren't cuddly, are they? LOL! This has the potential to be a great shot but the stark white backgroud, while might be a great contrast to most shots, over powers this one and washes the spider out big time. There is no clear detail on the subject and it almost looks like a layer was put on and the cleared where the spider was. It's funny that I can see the hairs on some of the legs but I can't see any facial detail. A 5