Man and Dog
by Melethia

Comment by SandyP:
I adore this photo. I can imagine the enjoyment that this fellow and the other puppies brought to people at the camp missing the warmth of home.

Man. . .I am starting to love more and more -- photos that have more soul than dpc high merit!!!! But somehow, I'm thinking that's a good thing!

Man and Dog
by Melethia

Comment by bassbone:
Deb
I didn't get around to voting on this one, but I would have given it a 6 or 7. I quite like the story told by the man's shoes and the relationship to the dog. The reason I feel you have a story here is how the man's left foot is slightly askew as if waiting for his dog to finish having the drink. The way the lines of the dog's back and the crack in the street intersect at the dog's head also drew me in.

This is a risky shot for a FS but I really quite liked it and I woudl not have changed a thing about the shot. I think it would be funny to see the purple dog edit sometime....

Man and Dog
by Melethia

Comment by EstimatedEyes:
This has a kind of street photography feel to it, where the moment of capture is more important than the technicals that may have brought down your score. As others have mentioned, the lifted foot adds a nice feel to the image. I also really like the movement in the milk where the dog is lapping it up, and the gritty feel to the overall setting, particularly the 2x4 pieces framing the bowl. There's a lot to look at here, including the other dog's feet behind the tapping shoe guy.

I can see this as a shot on a coffeehouse wall. It takes time to appreciate an image like this, and knowing the back story makes it fuller. Unfortunately, that's not the kind of image that does well at DPC, particularly in a challenge where people are voting 424 images. Guilty as charged -- I gave you a quick trigger 5 because the image didn't grab me right off the bat. On further reflection I'd probably give it an honest 7 -- the image doesn't have the pop or emotion for me that pushes it higher, but its a very nice slice of life that would fit well in a larger series of images.

Flight 4
by Melethia

Comment by Wildcard:
Wow, Deb this is stunning.

Man and Dog
by Melethia

Comment by SaraR:
I gave you a 5, and so was one of the voters who brought down your score. there were a number of things that I liked and I number of things that i didn;t about this photo:
Overall Composition - I liked the basic composition, and in particular the inclusion of the man's feet; the way one of them is casually lifted adds an additional casual dimension (and I mean that as a positive). I would prefer if you had taken a slightly llower pwerspective and framed the photo without the elements in the background, which I find somewhat distracting. If I cover the area I see that for me cropping the current photo nearly works, but not quite. A strong plus is that the eye of the viewer is led fully around the photo.
Mono Conversion - A good range of tones from white through to black; the only area here that i would question is the contrast between the dog's coat, particularly at its neck, and the background.
Focus - seems slightly soft; I would have preferred the dog's coat to be somewhat sharper (perhaps by use of selective USM? I'm not good with PS so may be talking rubbish....)
Overall Feel/Emotional Response - the basis of a very interesting and sound photo, but just not quite there for me. It is interesting that you refer to the dog as a puppy - I see a large rather intimidating animal. I wonder if the fact that whilst I am not scared of dogs, I am aprehensive of them has clouded by view.

Man and Dog
by Melethia

Comment by Hipychik:
I gave you an 8 on this. It has a story to it. (at least in my mind it does). I like the feet. I like the soft looking texture of the dog.

Man and Dog
by Melethia

Comment by BAMartin:
I gave this photo a 7. I can see why you loved it, its a cute puppy and a beautiful moment. I think maybe the voters see this as being a snapshot, but the very reasons most of them voted it low are the exact things I like the most. (ie. the rustic bowl, the mans feet).

Actually in the overall scheme of things, this did not do too bad. I am happy to see where it placed.

Morning conversations
by Melethia

Comment by h2:
Never really noticed this had a 7+ score without even finishing top 10. Dang!

Man and Dog
by Melethia

Comment by BrianR:
And of course being an animal lover had nothing to do with your wanting to enter this photo, good catch.

Man and Dog
by Melethia

Comment by timfythetoo:
I remember thinking pretty much this in voting - "Cute shot, wish the dog was really in focus... it's the feet, the feet are cool, stepping up just a bit, thats just cool."

Now had it been a cat instead of a dog with those feet in the background - 10!