Ashanali

I love your other shots Josie but I'm trying to put my finger on what about this photo doesn't work for me. I think maybe the contrast between the clouds and the blue of the sky is too dramatic? Like the blue levels have been cranked up too high. The other landscape is better for me but still the blues are very blue, especially around the cloud where the blue becomes darker. You're onto it Shell. I'm not a landscape photographer but the sky is the issue here as it the rock in the foreground. The clouds can look angry and have great tonal contrast (maybe just s teeny bit too much) but the blue areas are overdone. You have gone way too heavy with your processing. Are you editing in photoshop or LR? If you have this as a RAW, go back to LR and play around with the luminance of the blue channel. You will get a way better outcome. (just be aware that the blue that's in the shadow on the mountain will also be affected). Also darken the rock as it's not leading the eye into the image as it has the potential to do. At this point it's drawing the eye away from the clouds when you want it to be the other way around. The shot has potential, it just needs a re-edit.

that will depend on what my brother emails me.

Don't stress about it being the same subject over and over. The aim of the challenges is to 'see' the images before you shoot. You're doing well with your thirds - that is the important thing

Yep, but the breed standards specify that white must not predominate. So anything with less than 50% white is technically correct. There are no specified markings for Border Collies in any standard. This puppy looks like a pale red to me as well. ee red can vary from palest cream to deep chestnut. The puppies really need to be registered and the DNA results of the parents confirmed before they are sold. To not do so is just opening yourself up to legal problems if there are any health issues crop up in future. No BC puppy should ever be sold without proof that it is not genetically affected by CL, TNS and CEA. Now that these DNA tests are available buyers are entitled to sue you if you don't make sure that at least one parent is genetically normal for each condition. CL and TNS are 100% fatal so for these two conditions proof is vital. Registration is the legal declaration that these puppies are from these parents. I don't know the ins and outs of why the litter can't be registered. Will need to talk to my brother about this more.

okay, so it just means they have lots of white. Got it.

What is white factoring?

I'll have to ask him again.

Kayo won't start to expand for another week or so (I don't have ultrasounds done unless problems are suspected). She was eating like a pig up until yesterday and now she's back to normal. She's either starting to slow down (which is good), or she's aborting (which is bad), or she's just having a phantom (which is also not so great). I will know by next week. If she develops baby guts, we're on a winner.

Excellent Now we know where it's come from Thank you.

Kirislin - spot on. Note that it is now more calming on the eye when viewing it and you tend to let your eyes wander through the whole image and back to the ball (which is the focal point). GSPX - also good

Thanks Ash, just dont arrive with that purfume Red likes.... Ah yes... he took quite a liking to me didn't he (what can I say, he has taste. )

This is the mum's pedigree. Even I recognise some of those kennel names... and I see there's a red merle way back in the line too.

You're right

He is keeping an eye on this thread apparently, so he will now know that it's suggested he gets their hearing tested.

Very pretty. My bro has read this thread. He now thinks it will be a red and white and he's still keeping him. ;) He's going to send me pedigree details later, apparently there are some Japanese and Aussie dogs in there so the Border People here should know the lines??

no idea of the breeding, I'd have to ask my brother and he isn't hugely computer savvy, a reply might take him a while. (he can barely send emails. ;) I was amazed he found stuff online about white Border Collies. )

Thanks for that. ;) As I said, I suspect the pup will be red but my brother is adamant he will be white. If your very basic genetics are right, this could be a submissive gene that's been laying around for a while just waiting to pop up. Pretty cool.

Who is getting "it": AnnieK - great understanding and use of 1/3rds Esky - yep Kate - very close fiona - yep Kirislin - the photos are fantastic ;) the second shot is spot on but the first can be cropped a little close to fit it into the 'rule'. Huga - yep Ravvyk - there is one there with the dragon fly that could be cropped with the dragon fly as the focus if you cropped the bottom of the image up a little higher OR if there was more of the image at the top. Your tent photo is an excellent representation of the rule of thirds. It might not be the most interesting photo but it is very well seen and composed to take the rule into account. Becandcharch - yep So when I said most, I actually meant that all of you are pretty much on top of it. Some images can be a little stronger though but that is just practice. Keep going!

to the Border Collie people, I have sent my brother the link so he can take a look for himself, but if the parents lines aren't known to carry red, how does the red come through? Is red a recessive gene? I'm really curious now ;)

Considering my brother lives in the snow for the majority of the year, the dogs don't spend a huge amount of time outdoors so it's probably a good thing for the dog to be staying with my brother if he's going to end up very pale.

I suggested it was a red (because orange/lemon pointers often start out all white also) and he said that he had called the breeder of sire and dam and she had said that there's no red in the lines. He found this site online that talks about white Border Collies http://www.bordercollie.org/kay.html I suspect he will end up a light red though... will be interesting to see ;)

My brother overseas has bred a border collie litter (both parents pure with papers but he isn't registering them. I've already told him off about that.) anyway, have a look what two black and white border collies produced Happy mum with her babies now her babies and the biggest surprise of all that has my brother looking like this guy ;) Yes, it is pure white Yes, it is a pure Border Collie No, no other dogs got to his bitch. My SIL has always wanted a pure white dog so and my brother has had a life-long love of Border Collies so this is their dream dog. They have already decided that they are keeping him.

I probably could. After this week when the photo comps are out of the way we can do some one on one. It's just practice... I've had 22 years of it.

I thought I broke the challenges when people weren't posting. Most people are getting it right. I'm not going to point fingers but the easiest way to decide if you have got it right or not is too look at the image and see if your eye automatically falls to something that is on a '1/3rd' line. The rule of thirds is one of the single most used rules of composition that photographers use. Understanding it and getting it right is very important to understanding how to compose a strong image.

so sorry Maria