Dog Photo Competition 5 2012 : Results

Competition Winner : First Prize
$568.80

Judges Comment
love this image! wonderful framing and balance, great depth of field, beautiful conversion and light, and of course, an absolutely irresistible subject springing into action. nicely captured and presented. ~ illona
Photographers Comment
Thank you so much for choosing my photo, Illona! My name is Rike Bayer, I am 20 years old and took this photograph almost four years ago at the Danish coast using a Nikon D200. A few weeks ago I rediscovered it while browsing some old pictures. I like it since it is both static and dynamic at the same time and even though I had not planned capturing this Parson Russell springing into action I think this is what eventually makes this photo so special :-)
www.sternsekunden.de

Competition Winner : Second Prize

Judges Comment
an absolutely stellar photo ... the kind that keeps you coming back to see more. stunning color and light control, great post work, and lovely framing. an instant fave and a very memorable image. well done! ~ illona
Photographers Comment
Thanks for appreciating my photo. :) It depicts my dog Piegus (english: Freckly), which I adopted from shelter 5 years ago. One of our favourite activity after tiring walks is... observing. We just sit on the grass, most preferably on a hill and observe, relax ourselves... On that particular day we sat next to a pond and listened bird's talking. Freckly got interested in something that was moving through the scrub - he sat and observed... and I took that picture. Every time I look at it, I'm relaxing just like on that other day. Equipment used: Canon EOS 1D Mark II + Canon EF 17-40mm f4.0 L. My name is Aleksandra Sypniewska, I'm from Poland, Europe - be sure to visit my website:
www.fotopsy.pl

Competition Winner : Third Prize

Judges Comment
what a fun and engaging image. the b&w conversion is skillful, and in this case reduces the photo to its key elements, the beach, surf, the owner, and the advancing puppy with its swinging tail. the composition of these elements truly stands out when presented in this conversion. well done! ~ illona
Photographers Comment
I took this photograph an early morning on South Padre Island with my D700 and Vivitar 35mm f1/4 lens. We had been driving all night just to catch a glimpse of the sunrise over the Texas Gulf and everyone was excited, mostly my friends dog, to roam freely in the sand dunes.
ellafrida.daportfolio.com/

Competition Winner : Fourth Prize

Judges Comment
an absolutely stellar image. the light, the tones, the depth of field, and the receding columns are stunning ... the arches echoing the lines of the dog is a feature some may not initially notice, but make this a strong image. very well done. an instant fave. ~ illona
Photographers Comment
Hello Ilona, I´m very happy about the fourth place winner! Thank you so much! I feel very honored about this. The photo was taken in July 2012. I wanted to take a picture of a dog in the historic part of Dresden/Germany, so I photographed the pretty Weimaraner Lena in the „Stallhof“... yes, I found the right location for it! The picture was taken with the Nikon D3s and 85mm / 1.8 lens, only using available light. My name is Katja Zipser.
www.tierfotografie-dresden.de

Mark Of Excellence

Judges Comment
fabulous! love the big sweeping motion of this image and the almost otherworldly landscape created by the fish-eye. beautifully seen and captured. ~ illona

Mark Of Excellence

Judges Comment
another fave. the simplicity of this image, yet the variety of textures -- the soft bokeh, curly hair, and straight wooden pickets -- make for a rich yet simple composition, and all tell a story that is too well known to dog owners -- the curiosity of canines. beautifully shot and presented. well done! ~ illona
Photographers Comment
Hi. My name is Maureen Jordan and this is a shot of my dog Gertie on the deck at our lake cottage. It was taken with a Nikon D90. Minimal post processing in Lightroom. I feel honored to have be included in this great collection of photos!
www.adifferentbreedstudio.com

Mark Of Excellence

Judges Comment
an absolutely adorable overhead portrait, wonderful color management and great framing. beautifully done. thanks for sharing! ~ illona
Photographers Comment
This is Kropka (english: Dotty) staring at you in this picture. She is a tiny, 5kg in weigh, dog, which was looking for a home not so long ago. During my free time I try to help such dogs in finding a home by taking good pictures for their advertising. Interesting, eye-catching photo is a deciding factor in getting attention for a dog adoption advertising. Before I took the photos of her, she has been waiting for 2 months already - with no attention at all. After publishing those photos, telephones went haywire. After just one week, her caretaker chose the best home. It's a wonderful feeling when you successfully help a dog to find a new, loving family. Therefore I encourage everyone who likes to take photos of dogs to do the same. Equipment used: Canon EOS 1D Mark II + Canon EF 50m f1.8 Mark I.
www.fotopsy.pl

Mark Of Excellence

Judges Comment
lovely portrait and a great prop. the conversion to b&w is well handled and give this image a very classic feel. nicely done! ~ illona

Mark Of Excellence

Judges Comment
everything in this image works -- from the shallow dof, the beautiful creamy background, the expert color management, and, of course, the priceless expression on this little dog's face. well done! ~ illona

Mark Of Excellence

Judges Comment
lovely shot ... great tones, framing, etc., technically perfect ... but what makes this image so very special is the pair of boots of the viewer in the background, the feet echoing the slightly splayed feet of the old boy in the foreground. nicely done! an instant fave. ~ illona
Photographers Comment
We are honored - thank you! I'm Lynda Folwick, and I took this shot of Tyler, our newest rescue, in Upper Marlboro, with my Canon 7D. At 12 years old, sweet Tyler was given up for adoption because of a divorce - our hearts went out to him and he became dog #5 in our pack.

Mark Of Excellence

Judges Comment
love this shot. the framing is wonderful, intersecting lines, and the placement of the subject all work so well. the line of surf cutting behind the dog and the pier are dynamic, the dog's back-turned gaze, the reflection ... everything just works. i'd love to see a little more control of color -- a little more blue, and less yellow in the whites -- and perhaps a little more light brought into the shadowed side of the dog's face ... but otherwise, a very lovely image. thanks for sharing! ~ illona
Photographers Comment
This is Django, a lively Blue Merle Collie, not yet a year old, enjoying Brighton beach, UK. The tide was low so there was lots of shallow water to run through and he was loving it. At this point he had paused to turn round to see why I hadn't thrown his stick. A split second later he bounded over to see why not! This was taken with a Nikon D4.
www.facebook.com/brightondogphotography

Mark Of Excellence

Judges Comment
beautiful image. expert color control, wonderful framing, and use of reflection. perfectly executed. well done. ~ illona

Mark Of Excellence

Judges Comment
what a fun capture. photographing dogs-being-dogs is what it's all about, and this image does just that. beautiful tones and framing as well. nicely done! a fave for sure. ~ illona
Photographers Comment
Thank you. My name is Sharon Keck, from Westchester County, New York. I captured this image while on vacation in the Bahamas. I'm honored to receive this "Mark of Excellence". This was shot with a Canon 5D Mark II. With perfect light condition on this day, no post processing was necessary other than a small crop. The dog's name is "Tofur", he lives on the beach in Grand Turk, Bahamas and digs for crabs, always looking back to see if he'd caught any. "Just a dog-being-a dog"
www.soundshorephoto.com

Mark Of Excellence

Judges Comment
there's just something so utterly sweet and perfect about this image. the vibrant colors against the muted coat of the dog are lovely, and those "pops" of red poppies are gorgeous ... i wish there were more. i might be tempted to remove the tags. nicely done! ~ illona
Photographers Comment
This is Ziggy near Stanmer Park in Brighton, UK. Ziggy was on a shoot with three other dogs and was quite hyperactive, but his owners wanted some portrait shots. It wasn't too hard once he saw I had the bag of treats in my hand. I wanted him to look directly at the camera so I held a treat as close to the lens as I could. I love his fixed gaze. This is one of my favourite shots and I'm thrilled it has been awarded a mark of excellence. Taken with a Nikon D4.
www.facebook.com/brightondogphotography

Mark Of Excellence

Judges Comment
love this! great way to show the two sides of one personality. very fun. ~ illona

Mark Of Excellence

Judges Comment
beyond adorable. although this could be seen as a straight-forward portrait, there's something special about this image ... its shallow depth of field and colors are well managed, and that puppy-stare is pretty hard to resist. nicely done. ~ illona

Mark Of Excellence

Judges Comment
perfect silhouette capture. there are hundreds of dog silhouette photos out there, but i love that this one incorporates two dogs. it is a very story-telling image, and is expertly handled. nicely done! ~ illona

Mark Of Excellence

Judges Comment
great capture. wonderful light and framing make this image a definite keeper, not to mention this little bulldog's expression. well done! ~ illona
Photographers Comment
My name is Holly Montgomery of BrindleBerry - Custom Pet Photography. This photo was taken in Calgary, AB. Weezer is named after the band! He wasn't feeling too good this day, but you wouldn't know it! I didn't do much post other than cropping, warming up the photo, and removing a leash. Glad you like it Illona!
www.brindleberrypetphoto.com

Mark Of Excellence

Judges Comment
beautiful shot. the framing, tones and softness of this image are absolutely wonderful. if there is more image in the original -- i.e. more height and width -- i would suggest trying a crop that gives just a little bit more breathing room at the left and top frames. but this is a lovely image. thanks for sharing! ~ illona
Photographers Comment
This is my dog, Ryder. He was about 4 months old in this shot. It was taken near Traverse City at a little beach we had almost all to ourselves. The shot was taken around 9am with a Nikon D90. It was a beautiful day and was my pup's first ever visit to the beach! I have been photographing --well since I was about 12 and begged for my first instamatic--lol but with intent for about 7 years now.

Mark Of Excellence

Judges Comment
beautiful chocolate portrait. it's wonderful to see when photographers embrace the shadows as much as the light. well done. ~ illona
Photographers Comment
Hey Illona ! Thank you for this Mark of Exellence for my photo! I feel honored ! It's my chocolate Labrador Hazel in this picture and my name is Hannah Schindler. I took this with my Canon 7D and the Canon 70-200 mm in front of a window.
www.fotocommunity.de/fotografin/haennah/fotos/1530290

Mark Of Excellence

Judges Comment
this image is almost like a careful b&w study of light and shadow, intersecting lines and textures. beautifully done and converted. ~ illona

Mark Of Excellence

Judges Comment
very cool capture ... although it takes one a few moments to sort out the limbs and tail, and i'm still not quite certain who the leg in the center belongs to. :) great use of action blur and lovely dramatic use of shadows. well done. ~ illona
Photographers Comment
Thank you :) I'm Cassandra, this shot was taken a few years ago in Seattle with a canon powershot G5. My dogs used to wrestle all the time and so it gave me lots of opportunities to capture the moment. the leg in the middle belongs to the shepherd ;)
www.flickr.com/photos/xelusionx/sets/72157622593765288/

Mark Of Excellence

Judges Comment
the low angle of this shot makes it. well lit and captured, and awesome color management. thanks for sharing! ~ illona
Photographers Comment
The dog in the photo is Dazzle, a 10.5 year old retired racing Greyhound. Shot with a Nikon D7000, post-processed in Lightroom and Photoshop. Photographer: Rachel Hogue of Memphis, TN
www.rachelhogue.com

Mark Of Excellence

Judges Comment
absolutely adorable. wonderfully framed and processed. thanks for sharing! ~ illona
Photographers Comment
Thanks for your kind comment and for choosing my photo
www.flickr.com/aaih88

Mark Of Excellence

Judges Comment
this is a great panning shot. wonderful tones, and perfect action blur. well done. ~ illona

Mark Of Excellence

Judges Comment
this image just exudes happiness ... open fields, an off-leash walk, a happy recall of an exhausted and happy dog. wonderful light, nicely framed, great management of shadows and light. well done. ~ illona
Photographers Comment
My name is Holly Montgomery of BrindleBerry - Custom Pet Photography. This photo was taken in Calgary, AB. Emma is a ridgeback mix and she loves to run! I didn't do much post other than cropping, warming up the photo, and removing a leash. Glad you like it Illona!
www.brindleberrypetphoto.com

Mark Of Excellence

Judges Comment
a very sweet photo ... lovely light and location. the play of shadows across the lab's face adds to his/her placement in this setting. great management of color and light. well done. ~ illona

Mark Of Excellence

Judges Comment
fun shake capture and such an intense stare. the tones in this image are strikingly unique. well done. ~ illona

Mark Of Excellence

Judges Comment
dynamic action shot, skillfully captured and wonderfully converted to b&w. love it. ~ illona
Photographers Comment
Thank you very much!
www.Element-Kunst.de

Mark Of Excellence

Judges Comment
lovely location and windswept pooch. the lighting and the framing are wonderful, and the low angle give this shorty a very noble appearance. well done! ~ illona
Photographers Comment
This is Percy and I took this image of him on Lancing beach, East Sussex, England. I take photos of dogs on their walks for a business and Percy was enjoying one of my shoots. He had been scampering around on the sand and at this point was happy to take a break on some rocks. I really liked this photo of him because he looks so pleased with himself, and so he should; he had a poorly back and fought back to fitness with the help of a Dog Chiropractor. He is such a lovely boy.
www.facebook.com/brightondogphotography

Mark Of Excellence

Judges Comment
this is a very dramatic and dynamic image. an awesome sky, a great low angle, and a lovely, intense stare make this image quite memorable. well done. ~ illona

Mark Of Excellence

Judges Comment
there's something so pure about this image ... a beagle sitting in a park with buttercups under a perfect sky. just too cute. nicely captured, and managed all around. thanks for sharing! ~ illona
Photographers Comment
I'm Debbie Kozura from Charlottesville, VA. I used my D700 w/24-70mm Nikon lens. This photo is of my daughters dog Roxy and was taken in April 2012. Roxy is a very sweet Beagle and loves to be with her humans. I was out with them to practice photographing under mid-day conditions and this is my favorite from that shoot. Thanks so much!
kozuraphotos.com

Mark Of Excellence

Judges Comment
this is such an incredibly rich image ... the setting is absolutely dense with so many different flowers and textures, framing the sweet face of this beagle. beautifully captured, framed and presented. well done. ~ illona

Mark Of Excellence

Judges Comment
great portrait. the variety of textures and tones, and the skewed horizon make this a keeper. nicely done. ~ illona

Mark Of Excellence

Judges Comment
while there are certainly some technical issues with this image (the focus farther back instead of on the dog), it still exudes the joy most dogs have for water and an exuberance for diving. i would have perhaps cropped out the object in the foreground in the far right of frame as it is somewhat distracting, or rather framed the overall image more to the left to give the dog more space to dive into ... at the same time, i fully understand that these captured moments often have very little time for careful and concentrated composition. all in all, an uplifting and memorable capture. ~ illona
Photographers Comment
My name is Tyler Vitello, I'm 21 years old and currently live in Denver, Colorado. This photo was taken at the most northern part of Wisconsin. I took this photo while on my journey from where I went to high school in Washington, DC to where I now currently live, in Colorado. I was staying at my families cabin in the woods and every day we would go out on kayaks and boats and fish, swim and relax all day. This particular shot was when I was on a kayak with my Canon 5dmk2 and Canon 16-35 2.8L attached to a suction cup mount that was actually mounted to the front of the kayak!!! I had to go off of my instinct and how well I knew the focal length of my favorite lens at the time to frame, compose, expose and focus this picture as I wasn't actually looking through the eyepiece. I realize there are probably a few things wrong with this picture but the fact I captured the moment exactly as I saw it and timed it exactly as I had anticipated makes this one of my favorite shots I've taken to date!
tvpv.us

Mark Of Excellence

Judges Comment
very cute faces and great use of a shallow dof. i'm not a fan of the obtrusive blue bin (perhaps an argument for trying this image in a b&w conversion), but it is a captivating image, just the same. nicely done. ~ illona