Would like you to take a look...

[Shane Sitter]

Happy New Year to all!!!

Took this picture of my in-laws dog over the holidays and wanted to share with you guys. Lighting was not good so I used ISO 800, 1/60, 1.4. Thought they turned out pretty sharp with all things considered.

http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1WCTyFfMCJstKdbTay0tX3FYMDCTgj1

[Shane Sitter]

Here is another one

http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1C7QehwoMa6EYr76VoChNyy4DtYaW

[Norm F]

Pretty sharp? Razor sharp. They're awesome shots. Love his eyes!!

[CarolLHB]

Shane-forget pretty well, those shots are glorious! Perfect! Fabulous! What a gorgeous dog...oops, I'm gushing, but they are just beautiful!:o

[Carbone]

Wow, that second shot especially !!!

Ray

[Shane Sitter]

Thanks guys. I really appreciate the great feedback. I was really proud of them. I have been practicing, practicing, and practicing and think it is starting to pay off. Got the 50 1.4 about two months ago. Love it!!!

If you don't mind I am going to post them in BW as well. Working on my BW conversions. Let me know what you think of them if you have the time.


http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1cpuH7wBevSTTknChwVHzipQdY0e4Q1

http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1YMAVIgupiia01iI7CtCUDPkwAzGiF1

[CarolLHB]

Oh my...

What method are you using for the conversion to B&W? The first is my favorite of the black and whites-just awesome!

http://www.millan.net/minimations/smileys/photosmile.gif (http://www.millan.net)

[Shane Sitter]

Carol...
I will be glad to share what I did with the BW conversions.

Create hue/sat layer and change blending mode to color. OK
Create another hue/sat layer. Saturation to -100.
Go back to hue/sat layer with blend mode color. Adjust hue/sat for desired contrast/tones

Pretty simple.

[Shane Sitter]

Carol...I forgot to mention that Johny's BW and BW with tint tones are actions that I use quite often. You probably already know about these. I love the BW with tint. Great color.

[CarolLHB]

I actually don't know about them, Shane-more info please? Can't wait to try what you did-interesting!:)

[NMarti]

Shane - Pretty good....:eek: Those are awesome. If that's not your best then please share more... :D Wow the black and white conversion is wonderful - please let us know how you did it.

[Shane Sitter]

Carol and NMart...here is the sight that you can find several things to add with Elements. Go to How to use Photoshop Actions in Elements and Ling's snapactions are on the following page. You will find Johny's BW with tint tones. Have fun!!!!

With the pictures of the dog I used the conversion I mentioned earlier in the thread.

Again thanks for all the wonderful feedback. I thought the pictures were good but I am feeling pretty pumped after all your great comments.

http://graphicssoft.about.com/od/pselementsaddons/index.htm?terms=ling%27s+snapactions

[Punkinsmom]

What a beautiful dog! and great pics too:)

[Wendy]

Shane ...

Wow those images are so good ... and the B&W conversions are really great too. Not sure that I could choose which one I like best .. they are simply all too good :)

Wendy

[bayhli]

Excellent images Shane !

What kind of camera are you using?

Does Johny's BW with tint tones work in PE3 ?

Thanks!

[Kathy]

Beautiful images Shane !!!!!

Thanks for sharing the info on the website ...... I'll have to check it out.

Kathy

[Shane Sitter]

WOW!! Your comments are great. Thanks so much. Johny's actions will work in PSE3. Go to the site I spoke of above and when you get to the link for Lings actions scroll to bottom of page. There are quite a few actions that have been modified to work in PSE or you can visit his website at www.jakerlund.net.

My camera is a EOS 20D. Love it. Trying to learn how to read the light and work better with exposures. It can be very frustrating at times. Also purchased a grey card that I am learning to use. Any suggestions on good books for understanding exposure?

[Carbone]

I think the second I like the most because the balance between highlights and shadows is very good.

Ray

[CarolLHB]

Shane,

I tried you method for B&W conversion last night, and I have to say it worked very well-I was really please with the great contrast of tones. Thanks again-onto the website!
:)

[Jodi Frye]

Do I see a husky/ wolf hybrid ??? Sure as hell looks like one.

Really nice shot !

[Shane Sitter]

Yes Jodi... she is a wolf/husky mix. Isn't she beautiful. They always keep her in the house and I happened to let her get out the door at Christmas. Oops...freedom!! She always comes back but takes her sweet time. I watched her wander around across the street at the neighbors and if you did not know better she looked just like a wolf at a distance. Very gentle dog and great with kids.

Carol...Glad the conversions worked for you. Were you able to download the snapactions and give them a try?

I will have to say out of all the forums I post to you guys are the best. Happy New Year to all!!!

[Pauline]

Shane awesome pictues! What a gorgeous dog. I love the way you did the frame around the coloured pictures. The small golden yellow colour works perfect with the colours in the dog. What a beauty. :)

[Jodi Frye]

I knew it...wolf dog. Yes she is very beautiful indeed...do you know how old she is ? My mother happens to be an expert on wolves and wolf dogs which is why I knew it when I saw it. She has helped rescue quite a few of these hybrids. Unfortunetly there are many people that breed them illegally(depending on what State they live in) and many people that buy these cute little puppies only to find out that they grow up into an animal that is not dog nor wolf...but stuck in between in a grey area that causes alot of hardships to all involved. Many become aggressive and disoriented as they get older and especially cannot be trusted around small children. Afterall, they have wild instincts regardless of their dog blood. They are not predictable to say the least. I'm sorry if I'm sounding negative about this but just thought I'd let you know a bit behind wolf/dogs since you are close to an owner. There's lots and lots of info on the net about this...if you feel like checking it out. I agree it's a beautiful animal.

[Shane Sitter]

Jodi... I think it is so cool that you recognized her breed. They got her from a breeder in SC when she was a puppy. Hope it is legal in that state. She is around 9 years old. She definitely shows more traits of a dog. She let the kids roll around the floor with her and lay on her stomach to watch TV. The hair... she has so much of it!!

I will look her up on the internet since I spend so much time there anyway. Laundry is starting to pile up.

[Wendy]

Hi Shane ...

Thanks for the link ... I haven't been to Ling's site for quite a while. Did snapactions ever get updated for PSE3 or is it still PSE2 only ... it was the best installer of actions I came across and I was so sad when I couldn't use it anymore.

I will check out the links ... thank you :)

Wendy

[Shane Sitter]

Wendy...not really sure. I just visited www.jakerlund.net and this is what he has:

1. B&W Pkg. for PSE3
2. Edge Sharpen converted to work on PSE3
3. Soft Lights for PSE4

[Wendy]

Hi Shane ...

I will check it out ... thank you :)


Wendy

[Pauline]

Jodi, you are right. With a dog like this the owner must really know what they are doing and make sure that they are known as the 'alpha' and the dog is the lowest in the pack. He must respect the people at all times. At 9 years old, I think it's safe to say that he has been well trained and is a wonderful pet. In the wrong hands this same animal could have been very dangerous indeed.

Once at the public school they had a visitor in with a 'real' wolf that was raised in captivity. The children were taught about him and it was wonderful to see him. I couldn't believe how big he was and how beautiful, and was glad when the teacher informed me he would be visiting so I could see him.

[Jodi Frye]

Well Shane I felt a little funny after I posted that because I didn't want you to think I was being negative about the whole thing. As Pauline stated many owners have no clue as to what they are in for when they aquire such an animal which usually ends up in disaster. What Pauline stated is fact. I just wanted you to be aware of some things while I had you here. I felt it my duty to do so since this really isn't something I could overlook or ignore....considering that I've seen what my mother has gone through. The fact that she is nine years old is a definitely a step in the right direction. I am hoping that you will look up the information available on the net so that you can better familiarize yourself with wolfdog traits and what to look for or watch out for as far as behaviour is concerned. There are always the pros and cons in different sites...some states are still able to allow this breeding and there are those that sell pups over the net....they will rarely tell you the truth about wolfdogs....because they want to make money. I'd like to suggest to you that you also mention this to the owners. It never hurts to be educated.....especially when it comes to something like this. As I mentioned earlier...it is usually when they become older animals that things change. I do hope and pray to the good spirits that she remains a loving family pet for years to come.

[Shane Sitter]

Jodi...don't think twice about it. I did not view your comments on the dog as negative. Actually you sparked my curiosity to research more about this type of animal. I guess I have always viewed her as the family pet (in-laws dog) and never really paid much attention to her breed. Since Nikita is so gentle with everyone I just never gave it too much thought. Getting ready to look it up now. Thanks.

[Shane Sitter]

Jodi...I just finished reading an article or study about these dogs on the internet. It was fascinating to read about their traits and characteristics. I give credit to my husband and his mom and dad. Evidently they knew what they were doing in raising her as she is a very gentle dog/wolf. Sounds like she could have easily turned out the other way if they did not know what they were doing. I need to ask him tonight what made him buy this type of dog. That was before we met.

[Jodi Frye]

Hi Shane, glad ya did some reading...it's always good to know. I decided to talk to my mother about this last night and she mentioned that alot of breeders own hybrids and breed with dogs...so it's possible your beautiful canine is only less than 1/4 wolf which may be the reason for her docile trouble free nature.....also, huskies are extremely good family dogs so that is probably the key issue here. We had huskies and malamutes and doberman's while I was growing up and I truly loved the huskies.....such wonderful dogs. About 13 years ago I got a husky of my own ...I named her Sitka Nakita. She was amazing. Unfortunetly she had a terrible cancer and had to be put to sleep when she was only 8. I haven't been as close to any dog since. It really tore me apart. She was the type of dog that could read your mind...if that makes any sense. Anyways, I hope I will see more pictures of your beautiful dog.