# Indian dog's last hours - C&C



## kanhaiya16 (Nov 26, 2010)

I came across this dog while taking pictures in Mathura, India.  Would appreciate overall C&C, opinions.  Thanks!

1. 






2.


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## NikonNewbie (Nov 26, 2010)

I dunno...thats very sad. I can't comment on them other then that


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## FransD (Nov 26, 2010)

Sad to see,
but a Comment; i would liked to see some of the surrounding, to get the atmosphere.


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## kanhaiya16 (Nov 26, 2010)

I didn't know whether to crop the 2nd picture to include the trash in the background or not.






And it is very sad =\ , there are  stray dogs everywhere in India...most of them unhealthy =[


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## point-&-shoot (Nov 26, 2010)

I like number 2. The angle you shot from was good. I must agree with the rest, these shots made me sad a bit.


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## kanhaiya16 (Nov 26, 2010)

anything else i could do to improve the picture?  or is it powerful enough as it is


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## NikonNewbie (Nov 26, 2010)

kanhaiya16 said:


> I didn't know whether to crop the 2nd picture to include the trash in the background or not.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
It's like that in Italy too, they are all over the place. Yeah the background with the trash gives the picture more depth, what i mean is...that dog could be anywhere...in a city, in someone's back yard..etc..being abused...it tells a story.
a sad story


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## kanhaiya16 (Nov 26, 2010)

would black and white look better?


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## NikonNewbie (Nov 26, 2010)

kanhaiya16 said:


> would black and white look better?


 
try it and see


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## Stephen.C (Nov 26, 2010)

They're sad....Great photos? not really.....I don't know if i would have pulled out my camera if I saw a dog dieing.


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## MohaimenK (Nov 26, 2010)

looks like you were walking by and pulled out your cell phone and took pix of this dying dog for some kicks...


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## kanhaiya16 (Nov 26, 2010)

Stephen.C said:


> They're sad....Great photos? not really.....I don't know if i would have pulled out my camera if I saw a dog dieing.



Photojournalism is able to capture the action as it unfolds - the true emotions, the real expressions.  I try to tell a story with my pictures.  It helps if I don't let emotions interfere with the whole process.  

Sorry if you're offended by the picture.


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## kanhaiya16 (Nov 26, 2010)

What's wrong with the picture from a technical standpoint?


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## 512_SIR II (Nov 26, 2010)

I just want to give that dog a big bowl of food and water. Poor thing man. I think maybe a closer shot on it's face at a lower angle would of worked too, so you could see alot more of it's surroundings and the conditions that put him in that state. Although that would of made it even more sad. I wouldn't say theyre great photos, but they did make me feel a good amount of emotion which is what I like to see in photos.


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## kanhaiya16 (Nov 26, 2010)

MohaimenK said:


> looks like you were walking by and pulled out your cell phone and took pix of this dying dog for some kicks...



I used a Nikon D60 for this picture.


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## reznap (Nov 27, 2010)

I don't have a problem with the subject matter and I have a deep respect for photojournalism.  If you care about the people, and not just taking the photos, and tell a story and raise awareness, then you've done a good job.

A dying dog can evoke a lot of emotion and get peoples' attention, but I do think the picture lacks _context _a bit.  I kind of wish it were framed vertically.. with the dog on the bottom of the frame and a good part of the street visible up top... a nice wide shot.  

Are you still overseas?  I think India would be an incredible place to be with a camera in hand..

EDIT:  I was a bit un-sober and said contrast instead of context..


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## MohaimenK (Nov 27, 2010)

yeah  know that by reading ur EXIF data


Camera Maker: NIKON CORPORATION
Camera Model: NIKON D60
Image Date: 2009:07:22 10:04:15
Focal Length: 22.0mm (35mm equivalent: 33mm)
Aperture: f/6.3
Exposure Time: 0.0063 s (1/160)
ISO equiv: 100
Exposure Bias: none
Metering Mode: Matrix
White Balance: Auto
Flash Fired: No
Color Space: sRGB


what i  meant was that theres nothing special about them. The shots could have been taken with an iphone and look the same. I have seen your other work and was impressed by them. This doesnt impress me. Sorry


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## Geaux (Nov 27, 2010)

The shot invokes emotion inside of me, but it's not because of the photo, but more feelings for the dog in it.  It's not very compositionally sound, would have liked some different angles and more of it's decaying background.


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## kanhaiya16 (Nov 27, 2010)

Much thanks for the comments.  I think what I learned the most from the overall C&C is that the background had a significant role in the composition of the picture - not just the subject.  Didn't really consider the background much when taking the picture.  Thanks everyone.


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## robitussin217 (Nov 27, 2010)

I'd like to argue another side.

Sometimes you just let the subject matter speak for itself. I prefer the first shot. I _may_ have liked to see some more environment. But, that might have interfered with capturing the sorrowful expression. The form of the dog provides the composition. The only critique I have is that I would have liked to see a wider range of compositions- maybe a long shutter speed showing others passing; reinforcing the significance yet insignificance of a dying dog. I feel very empathetic toward that dog. 

Like everyone here, I always appreciate input. However, I'm disappointed when someone likens another's shots to shots taken on a point and shoot or camera phone. The "camera doesn't matter," argument, I believe, has been firmly established and makes this kind of comment irrelevant. To suggest that someone stopped to take pictures of a dying dog "for kicks" is offensive.


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## Fausto (Nov 27, 2010)

I am a noob and gave this advice already, but it applies here too.
 The idea behind the capture is awesome, true journalism. But instead of shooting from our eye level, in this situation I would have gone down on my belly and seen eye to eye with the subject. I know its a sad image, but maybe the reaction you wanted and you did great cause you got a few post with that reaction. 
Now that the picture is taken, I saw leave it the way it is, uncropped and in color. It is a great image.


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## jamesdavidboro (Nov 27, 2010)

I don't see any technical merit in the picture. You've just pointed a camera at a dieing dog(not an unusual sight on the sub-continent) and snapped. Not the type of photo i want to see.


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## jamesdavidboro (Nov 27, 2010)

"The idea behind the capture is awesome, true journalism."

Come on its hardly Vietnam!!


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## NikonNewbie (Nov 27, 2010)

MohaimenK said:


> looks like you were walking by and pulled out your cell phone and took pix of this dying dog for some kicks...


 
who does something like that? except that weirdo with the mouse?
I just think the "way" or the "view" from which this photo was taken makes it look like that...had you been able to see the area around the dog...or even people just walking by like they don't even see the dog (which is what happens...sometimes...they even just kick them aside if it's dying in a road...that REALLY SUCKS...) that would show more of what I think this photographer is tyring to convey to us.
For someone from the US to look at this picture, it envokes sadness because here in a country where we have stores catering to a dogs well being...and THERE where they are looked at as a nuisance- and here someone would pick that dog up and take it to a vet, and a vet would save it's life even if there was no one to claim to the dog, then it would go on the news and everyone in that town (viewing area) would donate money to save that dog....there in India and lots of other countries...that dog won't even get buried, and the fact that the photographer even stopped to RECOGNIZE a creature dying while everyone else ignores, is showing his intent...
IMO. 
I'm suprised at you Mo for saying something like "for kicks" ...come on, way to make someone feel terrible about trying to show us something, that wasn't necessary at all you could have just said you didn't like his view...you put him/her down as a PERSON and basically stated that perhaps they have no empathy and that is 100% not cool.


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## kanhaiya16 (Nov 27, 2010)

Just so people understand the situation - I was walking back from a temple with my uncle when I saw the dog.  I had about 10 seconds to get in two shots before he was yelling at me to get away from the diseased dog.   

Appreciate the comments, especially those who explained how I could have improved the picture.


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## sovietdoc (Nov 27, 2010)

/sadpanda


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## c.cloudwalker (Nov 27, 2010)

I agree that the photo itself is nothing to write home about but tbh PJ shots are not always the best technically because, sometimes, to get the shot you don't have time to think.

In this case, you did have time and the shot should be more interesting.

But my biggest problem with it is that I wouldn't know the dog was dead except for you saying so. It just looks like it's laying there and that's it. No wounds, a bit skinny but I've seen worse, the image is just not telling the story.


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## Overread (Nov 27, 2010)

I'm glad you said that Cloud because aside from the redness around the eye and a small cut on the inside of one rear leg (you just see it just in the first shot most clearly) the dog just doesn't look distressed or "ill" in the photo. It also doesn't look impossibly thin (ie we can't see rib bones).

So thus far on the red "irritation" around the eye is the only clear sign that something is possibly not right with the dog - however even that is slightly lowered by the fact that she has fairly thin fur and pink skin showing in other areas (ie were the dog of a stronger colour the red around the eyes might show up more clearly). 

I do think this is a case where the photo itself isn't speaking quite as loud as the title and story that come with it - important things always with giving context to a photo - esp a journalist/documentary based photo. But it does mean that one its own its harder for the viewer to empathise with the sight if they ignore the description.

There is a (what I consider) sad look to the dogs face, but I can't really gather much more emotion than that - I agree that a more contextual shot showing more of the surroundings might have helped at least to build upon the emotion - maybe not to the level of death, but certainly to the point of poor living conditions.


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## c.cloudwalker (Nov 27, 2010)

Overread said:


> I'm glad you said that Cloud because aside from the redness around the eye and a small cut on the inside of one rear leg (you just see it just in the first shot most clearly) the dog just doesn't look distressed or "ill" in the photo. It also doesn't look impossibly thin (ie we can't see rib bones).



The redness at the eye and what I think you call a cut seems to me to be just from the fact that this is a pink skin dog. And the dog even looks quite clean for a stray.

The only thing I noticed is that it looks like poop coming out of the a**hole and that is how I found my last dog that died but mine was bloated from being dead a couple days and this one sure doesn't look bloated. The thing is though, that even if that is what it is, how many people would know to associate this with death?

No, the photo just doesn't tell the story.


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## kanhaiya16 (Nov 27, 2010)

Thanks everyone.


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## Elias (Nov 28, 2010)

These sorts of pictures without context are completely worthless to an audience that wasn't there at the time. Can I ask how many pictures you took of the dog? Do you not now regret staying there a bit longer and attempting to create a better more interesting image?

This photo I took is somewhat similar. I regret not taking more time with this picture, they were ill and weren't going to run off.


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