Textured feather
by Melethia

Comment by riversong:
You captured the feeling of oldness and time! Nice effects!! I don't think it's too dark at all...it adds to the overall image.

Razored
by Melethia

Comment by ErinM:
There's a disconcerting beauty to this, an elegance in the chaos.

Sweetness and innocence
by Melethia

Comment by annig:
oh, yes she is! excellent in its simplicity, and hher gorgeous eyes and smile.

You capture the people here so well! I am inspired...

~Anni

Full House - 3 gents, 2 pigeons
by Melethia

Comment by annig:
well seen & excellent in B&W! love the seeiming ease with which these guys while away the day...I agree with your suspicions, that these guys convene here on a regular basis; nice to have the companionship, I imagine :)

Flight 4
by Melethia

Comment by bmartuch:
Great shot Deb. You should be the Army photographer.

Liberty sundown
by Melethia

Comment by skewsme:
yowza!

Blue hats
by Melethia

Comment by krnodil:
I love the lighting in this one - and the processing is to good effect.

Liberty sundown
by Melethia

Comment by justamistere:
You've been taking a lot of great photos recently.

Man and Dog
by Melethia

Comment by L2:
Hi Deb,

Let's see, with regard to the technicals it's pretty solid as many others have noted. Black and white was definitely the way to go here, and you've done a good job with the conversion. As a side note, my favorite way to add a vignette (in CS2) is to go to Filter/Distort/Lens Correction and then use the vignette sliders moving left to create one instead of correcting one.

This is definitely one of those shots that needs study to fully appreciate, but at the end of the day it's a dog drinking from a bowl with a man watching. There needs to be some interaction somewhere, either with the subjects in the frame (dog actually drinking water, man petting the dog, etc.) or with the subject and the viewer (like if you were more in front of him, but still showing dog lengthwise for depth). The man's feet does nothing for me, but I see I'm in the minority there. I'm not much of a dog person, either, so in the absence of flying water (or milk, or whatever it is) to give me a story or a cute expression on the dog's face, I'm largely unmoved. Someone previously mentioned getting down a even bit lower, and I think that might have helped with regard to forcing viewer interaction with the scene and showing them something they don't ordinarily see.

It's a solid shot, and I can definitely see the appeal. I really think it's just that I'm not so much of a dog person to have that instant emotional appeal that would make me look deeper to find the hidden treasure in the shot.

Man and Dog
by Melethia

Comment by krnodil:
Love the detail in the care taken to give the dog bowl its own special box - puppies will knock their bowls about a lot. :) Dynamic and interesting composition, a really soothing kind of shot.