Tess & Bella The Golden Retrievers (Click to enlarge)
Let’s do some hard work. I know you’re out there, but I’m not sure exactly what your interests are. Some are more into photography than pets/dogs/cats, etc. Some have a fierce love of dogs only, and some…well, I don’t know. Lest you think I think it’s my way or the highway, I want to rip my work, because no one else seems willing to do it 
Let’s first talk about what’s good about this image. It’s always a good thing to begin a critique with what you like. I like the composition. Rule of thirds is applied. Focus on the dogs is good. I like the presentation (sure I do ). In order to see what I’d like to frame, and how I’d like to frame it, I apply different colored canvases to images. I like this one.
Okay, what is it that I don’t like? It’s kind of ho-hum. If you live in or near this part of the world you’ll see land and river-scapes like this all the time. With a depth of field (DOF) of f4, only the dogs are in focus. Might it not help your eyes meander through the image if the aperture was at f16, or even f22? I think I’d like to see this whole image in sharp focus. I couldn’t shoot with that kind of aperture without the noisy high ISOs. I like my Nikon equipment, except all but the very high end bodies do not handle high ISOs noise-free.
Recently I read another pet photographer speaking about equipment. I use Nikon equipment, for no other reason than…well, that’s what I have. We like what we do because we do it. I talked about this in another post, A New Eye. It is my theory that we become accustomed to what we do (or have) and we become proponents of whatever that is. Though I am human too (oh yes, I am), I fall into paths (read: ruts) as quickly as the next person.
When I sought equipment to start this business, Sisters Pet Pics, my local camera shop pointed me to a Nikon D50, as that was the best for the price, at the time…in his opinion. He told me he owned Nikon equipment and he loved it. He likes what he has because he has it. Okay then. Good enough for me. I had been working with a Pentax SP1000 for 25 years, what the heck did I know about digital SLRs? So away I went.
As I added brand specific lenses and filters, and another body (D200), I realized I was married to Nikon. Oh yes, that’s what you do, unless you are independently wealthy and can afford the divorce, and eventual re-marrying to another brand. This other pet photographer proclaimed Canon as the best equipment for pet photographers. Hmmm. Could be. Dunno. I certainly wouldn’t be prepared to make that proclamation, but I surely won’t argue the point.
Here’s the deal. You can make wonderful captures with a 2 Megapixel PointNShoot. The buffering is a little slow, so your jumpy puppy or kitten might get out of the frame before the shutter releases. If your subject is still, you can get something nice. You just can’t enlarge it. Most of you don’t care about enlargements anyway. Do you? Oh, if you do, then you need to move up. The prices of the 10 and 12 Megapixel SLR cameras have come down so much, that if you move from a PnS you might just as well add a little extra for that 10 or 12 Megapixel SLR.
What brand? Well, there seems to be two camps. If you read the forums, they are at war with one another. I cannot quite understand why, but some can get really ugly. I like the Nikons. You know why. Because that’s what I have. I can get really good captures, and when I don’t, whose fault is that? Shall I blame it on the equipment? I’d like to, but no, it’s because the operator has messed up. Naughty photographer. I’m reminded of the tennis player who blamed a loss on her equipment. That crappy head band!
If you are camera-shopping, ask yourself what you want to do with the camera. Are you a scrap-booker? Then I can recommend the Nikon Coolpix P5000. It’s a 10 Megapixel, PnS camera, with the ability to use manual settings. Uh huh. What a dang work-horse for its size. I recommend having a small camera to take with you on vacation, for those events where your rattling, imposing camera equipment and bag might be too much…like in a Belizean restaurant. You can buy an affordable underwater housing for it too.
Is your camera for pet and family photos, but you’d hope that every now and again something really fine happens that you’d like to enlarge? Then probably either the Nikon or Canon SLRs are your brands. The only reason I’m saying that is because they are widely sold and serviced and they are both mighty fine cameras. Search the internet for reviews. Compare prices. Try to sort through the real information from that which is some sort of cheerleader review. It’s tough, I know, but don’t listen to me, because I’m saving for my next camera body. What is it? You know the brand. The model is a D3x. Ooooo, I can almost feel it in my hands.
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