Eccentricby
ShutterPugComment by Rikki: Greetings from the Critique Club :o)
Composition:
The "tilt" of the camera is very playful - very much inline with your beloved pug. The "off-white" background seems to compete with the color of the pug. However, the lighting saved this image from being "washed out".
Camera Work:
The focus is off as you might already have known. This is pretty much the case when you use an aperture of f2.8. I would suggest a smaller aperture size (maybe a f5.6). The martini glass is in focus but the pug is unfortunately a bit blurry. For an image having an ISO400 rating, there is very minimal noise in this photo. It bothers me a bit that the olive is cut and not in full view.
Post-processing:
I think you can adjust the levels a bit more to saturate the color of the drink. Since the image was a bit blurry to begin with, I would probably work on improving the sharpening of this image via more USM (but not too much). The first thing that struck me when I saw this image was the weight of the border. The triple border (in this case) seems a little too heavy. Had you kept just the white border, I think this would have been a much more effective image.
My Final Thoughts:
Personally, I think that this image has a lot of potential behind it. I like how you introduced a bit of humor in this challenge. I am glad that you take photographs of subjects that you are passionate with - your pug for instance. It definitely shows persona and individuality and lets everyone know that you take photos for your own satisfaction and no one else.
This image meets the challenge in my opinion and your title is on the mark.
If you have any questions about this critique, please feel free to contact me via the PM system.
Photographer found comment helpful.
