# New photo challenges



## marjrc (Jan 13, 2007)

Hi Melissa!

You mentioned maybe getting things going in this folder and seeing what photo assignments you could think of. I'd love that!! 
I realize you may not have the time, but just thought I'd let you know that I'll be eager to take on any challenge you might post once the time allows you to do so. 

I so enjoyed seeing all the pics posted in the last thread - outdoor shots. Great stuff!!


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## susaneckert (Sep 7, 2006)

I to love the great out door shots . We just bought a new camera and once every thing settle down at the home front I want to get some of Yoda and post them.


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## Melissa Miller (Aug 2, 2006)

What do yall think the New Category should be?
Its February. We could do Valentines theme. Or Havanese Love....Havanese kisses..... What does everyone else think? I can get a new one posted tomorrow.


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## Laurief (Nov 7, 2006)

Thats a real cute idea, something to do with kisses and/or valentines day!


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## marjrc (Jan 13, 2007)

Oh yes (clapping hands) !! Kissy poo pictures!


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## Olliesmom (Sep 29, 2006)

OH MY!!! I did a pix thru photobucket!!!! I have been trying for months and this actually worked - now lets see if I can repeat what I did!!


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## marjrc (Jan 13, 2007)

Way to go !! I just saw your cutie in the gallery. He's adorable!! Isn't it fun when we finally get it working?!


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## RickR (Feb 15, 2007)

Testing


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## whitBmom (Nov 27, 2006)

Welcome Rick to this forum! Max is a cutie pie


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## Olliesmom (Sep 29, 2006)

*HUGE FIND!!!!*

Thx so much - but a have a new find that is even better than photobucket! It seems that most of our problems stem from our pix being too large!!! Well gang check out this website

www.shrinkpictures.com

it is amazing and soooooooooo easy - even I can do it - once your pix are the right size your picture world amazingly opens up!!!

Try it!

Catherine aka Olliesmom


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## Melissa Miller (Aug 2, 2006)

Catherine, thats AMAZING!!!! Its perfect!!!!!!

Its so hard to tell people how to size photos since there are so many different programs.


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## RickR (Feb 15, 2007)

I need some help. When I take pictures of Max using the flash, the end result is his eyes glow.....like he's possessed or something. I've tried fixing by using the eliminate red-eye function but that doesn't seem to help. Any suggestions would be appreciated


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## RickR (Feb 15, 2007)

Here is an example of Max giving me the evil eye....


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## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

Rick, that is a really good photo for a black dog indoors. (At least, it appears indoors) I've had many black dogs and the only good ones I've been able to capture have always been outdoors.

I'm not very good with a camera, and I'm sure Melissa has much better information, but I attended a photography seminar at our last Havanese National Specialty and that person basically said the key was to correct the glowing eyes through software. She made it sound hopeless to work too hard with the camera. (I may have misunderstood her, but that's what I got out of the red/glowing eye part of her workshop.)

Hopefully, someone else will have a better option for you. Otherwise, get Max out in real daylight for some good options. You can go to Google and look up photography tips for black dogs too (ex. "photography tips black dogs").

I found these right away:
Pet Photography Tips

Tips for Photographing Pets - lots of info!

Good luck! If you find any helpful tips, send them my way too please. I still have a black dog with very few photos of her.


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## RickR (Feb 15, 2007)

Kimberly, thanks for the link to the photo tips.....

Actually this was an indoor picture on a light beige carpet, even though it did snow today....

Rick


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## Melissa Miller (Aug 2, 2006)

This is such a tricky subject. Software thats automatic does not always fix this. People get red eye, and thats what the software looks for the "red" in the pupil. W/ Dogs they get green eye and it takes up a lot of their eye, like you see here. Its almost uncorrectable because you would have to replace the eye. What software does in people photos is replace the red with black because thats the color of the pupil. 

When the glow spills over the entire eye, you just cant correct it on the computer without replacing it with another eye. 

You have to prevent it with your camera. If you have a point and shoot, you can try putting it on the red eye reduction, which will get the eye adjusted to the light before the pic snaps. MIGHT work on dogs.

If you have an SLR, I would soooo strongly suggest getting an on camera sep. flash. Even one off of ebay. It will help. And it wont alway prevent it 100% but it helps. The farther away the flash from the lens, the better. The smaller the camera, the worse the red or green eye. 

Indoors its worse because its darker in room, thus making the light from the flash harsher on the eyes. 


The only reason black dogs are hard to photograph is because of your camera meter. Once again, if you have an SLR, I can tell you how to fix that also. Its metering off the dark dog and adjusting the exposure wrong. Its also hard to focus on them. 

I shoot most dark dogs manual, but I shoot almost everything manual now. We can start a thread for photography. I can teach those if I know what kind of camera you have.


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## Rita (Jan 1, 2007)

Wow Melissa. Great tips.

Rick your Max is adorable. I love the color. I originally wanted a black one but the personality didn't work for us. 

I am horrible taking pictures. My son took the one that I have posted. I am too slow taking pictures and only had pictures of Houston's butt. I have a Kodak Easy Share digital camera. For this picture, I just zoomed in with my Kodak software. The software did an OK job with the eyes but not as good as with people.


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## dboudreau (Jan 12, 2007)

I found with my old point and click camera, if you take the picture on an angle instead of directly in front of the dog it does help. I can't live with out my SLR now best investment I ever made. Just my 2 cents.


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## RickR (Feb 15, 2007)

Lynn said:


> Wow, Rick evil eye or not I think Max is really cute. I have a cream, white dog but I love the black dogs. I want one! He is cute, he looks the age of Casper about 6 months? We fixed a picture of Casper with software (the eyes were like that) , and we colored in his eye, my husband helped. It probably was not the best job, but it colored the eye dark again.


Hi Lynn, Max will be 5 months next week. Where in Washington State do you live.....if close enough maybe Casper and Max could have a play date?

Thanks for all the photography advice....Maybe I'll have to dust off my old F1 Nikon.......


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## Judy A (Jan 13, 2007)

Ahh, the old F1 Nikon...I so hate the fact that I traded mine when I couldn't afford to buy a new/used one outright. That was the BEST camera I ever had and it was a gift from a Japanese student who lived with us. I've never taken photos as good as those were...Oh, sorry, this isn't about a dog, but that camera brings back some fond memories....


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## marjrc (Jan 13, 2007)

Max looks like Ricky, too cute ! I use a reg. dig. camera and get the same eyes indoors. I try to fix it with Photo Shop Pro vers. 8, but the eyes dont' usually look natural. Ideally, we photograph Ricky outdoors or at an angle so we dont' get that devilish, evil look. Sometimes a great picture shows him with glowing eyes and there isn't much I can do to make it look really good. sigh.... 

Thanks for the links! Checked them out and there are good tips there.


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## Doggie Nut (Oct 20, 2006)

Looks like you have the same "touch" that Melissa has....getting them to be still! Any tips?? By the way they are ALL gorgeous! Vicki


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## Lynn (Jan 2, 2007)

That is a great picture! How did you get those dogs to all sit still like that? Do you have two havanese dogs and one Lab?


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## marjrc (Jan 13, 2007)

Paige, that's a beautiful shot with your daughter! I love that she's doing a project on the subject of animal sense. Good for her!

Another Hav, eh? Lucky you!


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