Dog Photo Competition 6 2013 : Results

  • Competition Winner : First Prize
  • $681.60 plus a Leica C worth $700
  • Judges Comment
  • this is a very unique image that stands out by its composition, tonal conversion and its geometric simplicity. i notice it was entered in the previous Dog Photo Competition and somehow was missed. SO worth submitting again! i think my only suggestion with this image would be a very slight crop so that the weight of the pier brace on the left was not as heavy. i would suggest trying it with equal width as the one on the right side of the frame, or to even eliminate it all together (although then i would be filling that space with sky and water so as not to compromise the successful crop you already have). this latter crop/cloning suggestion would give more breathing room for the dog as well as the free-standing upright pole in the lower left frame. however, this is just one person's opinion. nicely seen and captured. congrats! ~ illona
  • Photographers Comment
  • I´m really happy to be awarded the first prize, thank you. This photo was taken in the southern part of France, close to the Arcachon Bay. In this region life is oriented around oysters, and many of small boats you can see in the background are used for collecting oysters. The dog is curious about a boat coming in. It just stood there for a few moments so I was lucky to get this shot. It was taken a few years ago with a Nikon D200 and 70-200/2,8 VR. Postprocessed in LR 5. /Bengt Kallenberg (Gustavsberg, Sweden)
  • www.kallenbergphoto.com
  • Mark Of Excellence
  • Judges Comment
  • the lines and unique low angle make this image stand out. the emotional pull of the little dog draws us in. nicely done! ~ illona
  • Photographers Comment
  • Thank you....name is Christian Silberbauer from Nutley, NJ. I was walking by and the dog ran up to the fence. I dropped my camera down low, snapped the pic, and the dog instantly went crazy barking at me. It was shot on film and happened so fast, I really didn't think I had anything. It was a pleasant surprise once the film was processed. Interestingly there is a woman bent over gardening right behind the dog, who you can just barley make out. I was amazed to see the that the low angle on the dog had virtually framed her out of the shot. This was shot on a 35mm Leica M7 and Voigtländer 15mm f/4.5. I don't remember the film stock used. Negatives were scanned into Lightroom and colors were lightly processed. See my other photos at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cbauer210/
  • www.christiansilberbauer.com
  • Mark Of Excellence
  • Judges Comment
  • i adore this image ... beautiful framing and movement, wonderful energy and emotion captured, perfect depth of field and expert technical skills as well as post work. super well done. an instant fave. ~ illona
  • Photographers Comment
  • Thank you for your nice comment... Canon EOS 5D Mark II + Canon EF 85 1.8 USM EXIF :) Exposure 1/320 Aperture f/1.8 Focal Length 85 mm ISO Speed 125 Edited in Lightroom 5 Prague, Czech Republic
  • facebook.com/annaphoto.cz
  • Mark Of Excellence
  • Judges Comment
  • the beautiful strong lines and framing of this image make it an instant favorite and standout photo in this group. the tonal conversion on this image is wonderfully strong and well managed. nicely done. ~ illona
  • Mark Of Excellence
  • Judges Comment
  • this image is absolutely fantastic. beautiful silhouette of dog and tree, and lovely tonal conversion. i would make only one editing suggestion with this image and that would be to work on the wayward, chunky branch that sits in the middle crotch of this tree. i think most viewers would find its jagged lines rather distracting to the otherwise clean lines of this silhouette image. i would revisit the image and see if there is a way of cleaning up that area and removing that heavy branch to make this image a lovely, clean image. well done. ~ illona
  • Photographers Comment
  • Thank you Illona :-) I am from Germany and I love taking pictures of dogs. This picture shows my Beagle Nicky :) Best regards. Sandra
  • www.Fotomonster.net
  • Mark Of Excellence
  • Judges Comment
  • fabulous image. the simplicity, the framing, the sentiment, and the almost abstract quality of this image make it an instant favorite. very nicely done. ~ illona
  • Photographers Comment
  • Thank you! This is my dog Graice who loves to snuggle any chance she gets! My name is Cheryl and I live in Lansing, Michigan.
  • https://www.facebook.com/Cbaase.ExpressYourselfPhotography
  • Mark Of Excellence
  • Judges Comment
  • the story-telling quality of this image is wonderful ... the windswept rain/snow, the power of the wind seen in the dog's coat, the wonderful light and shadow, and the lovely tonal conversion ... all beautifully done. ~ illona
  • Photographers Comment
  • Thank you very much, Illona. The photo was taken during a recent New York blizzard, a good night to stay home unless you're a Golden Retriever. The camera was a (weather-resistant) Olympus OM-D EM-5 with a Leica Summilux 25mm lens.
  • Mark Of Excellence
  • Judges Comment
  • although a rather straight-forward photo, this image stands out in its simplicity, the wonderful and sensitive tonal conversion, and the Boston's expression. well done! ~ illona
  • Photographers Comment
  • Thank you very much. :-) My name is Ulrike Treude. I live in Germany and I took this photo of my Boston Terrier with a Canon 5 DMark III and a Sigma 85mm f1.4.
  • Mark Of Excellence
  • Judges Comment
  • the framing of this image, as well as the stunning, soft light captured make this photo standout. added to that is the anticipation of the open field lying between the dog and the photographer ... where one whistle could instantly set the snow flying and close that space in short time! wonderful capture. ~ illona
  • Photographers Comment
  • This photo was taken in Connecticut, this past December with a Canon 5Dii. Every image from this particular morning has this beautiful, soft light from the fog. I loved this shot instantly! And your notes are correct, he did run and close the gap between us in seconds just after this shot was taken. Minimal post processing done in ACR and PS. Thanks!
  • kathrynschauerphotography.com
  • Mark Of Excellence
  • Judges Comment
  • the unique angle of this image makes it stand out and makes it immediately memorable. beautiful light and capture, and wonderful editing and color management. ~ illona
  • Photographers Comment
  • Thank you so much! I love your work! I'm a german photographer and love animal photography. Here you can see my dog "Sammy".
  • www.johannapasson.de
  • Mark Of Excellence
  • Judges Comment
  • this sweet shot is immediately fun and eye-catching. nicely done. ~ illona
  • Photographers Comment
  • This is Blink, a 13 week old Border Collie pup. I turned up to the shoot and I had cuddles with Blink for a few minutes and I was thinking, I am SO lucky to do this job! Just about the cutest thing ever! And so well trained even at that age, his owner had him sitting, staying, posing, it was remarkable! Blink is so inquisitive, we took him in to a field of corn and he sniffed around. As I recall I just said to him "Blink, what's this?!" and he looked up at me. This image has been my most popular image on my facebook page so I am thrilled it has also been recognised by a great dog photographer. Thanks! Lovely to have been awarded a mark of excellence, thanks! A bit about me: I am a dog photographer working in Brighton, UK.
  • www.facebook.com/brightondogphotography
  • Mark Of Excellence
  • Judges Comment
  • what a wonderful and fun image. this kind of capture is all about knowing your camera settings AND knowing your subject, being able to excite your subject, know what drives them and then have your settings right in order to capture it! bravo! ~ illona
  • Mark Of Excellence
  • Judges Comment
  • this image was an instant favorite and an early standout. the black and white conversion lends to the moodiness of this image and the sad expression of this sweet weim in mid-stride. lovely capture and image management. ~ illona
  • Photographers Comment
  • Thank you very much Illona. I am from Czech Republic and mainly taking photos of our cats. This Weimaraner was shot using Nikon D7100 and Sigma 50/1,4
  • www.facebook.com/tomas.bartosz
  • Mark Of Excellence
  • Judges Comment
  • what a fun image! beautifully framed and captured. the shallow depth of field and receding lines of the trees/shrubs make the puppies simply leap from the frame. nicely done! ~ illona
  • Photographers Comment
  • This is Pan and Kanga, two sisters who were playing in their back garden. I saw this line of trees and knew it would make a nice backdrop to the photo so I asked their owner to hold up the branch and the girls duly obliged, running up and down and jumping for the leaves. I only took a few shots and this one came out just as I had hoped for. Lovely to have been awarded a mark of excellence, thanks! A bit about me: I am a dog photographer working in Brighton, UK.
  • www.facebook.com/brightondogphotography
  • Mark Of Excellence
  • Judges Comment
  • what beautiful light and tones ... lovely framing and an intense stare ... all work together to make this a memorable image. nicely done. ~ illona
  • Photographers Comment
  • Thank you Illona, this was one of my favorites from a fall session in Connecticut. This dog was an absolutely fabulous model for me! I loved the light and the tall grasses, and her expression in this shot. Camera used was a Canon 5Dii.
  • kathrynschauerphotography.com