Pet portraits

This is a beautiful photograph, very well composed and the colors are marvellous. The light is completely mastered, which was most probably a challenge. A black dog against a pale background is not an easy image to accomplish, but the photographer managed to keep the details of the background while bringing out the details of the black fur. I love the snowflakes on the dog’s nose and all the textures of the image. There are many layers to the composition, and each layer is beautifully lit. This should be printed big and hung up!

This is a great photo for the story it tells. Sometimes the technical aspect is not as important if the story is strong. In this case the image is blurry and the exposure is a little harsh, but it does not matter because this photograph says something. To me this is a shelter dog or a dog that has been abandoned. It looks like a photograph taken at night, in secret, hastily, with a cheap flash, and that is exactly what makes it so unique.

This image is hilarious, and very well shot. The background is nice, the focus is great. Cats always look so serious in photography, so it is refreshing to see a “laughing” cat for once! It deserves a place in the Top 10 because it shows another side of pet photography. Sometimes an image with a crazy side says more than a perfectly posed portrait.

This is a very well executed dog portrait. The light is great (though I would have loved to see more hair light). But he expression is a little simple and I would have liked to see a little more creativity since the technique is mastered.

This is a great concept and a sweet image. The tones are serving the story very well. It feels almost a bit vintage and I could see the photo on a postcard. But upon closer inspection the grain feels a little forced, especially on the eye, which is the reason why it did not make it into the Top 10. But it is still a fantastic image.

This is a wonderfully composed image. This heart-shaped couple of bunnies is adorable. Their “serious” faces only add to the image. It did not make it to the Top 10 because it is a little dark and blurry, but it did catch my attention.

This image is another great example of what pet photography can be. I loved the fact that the photographer tried to play with textures and light to create a portrait that says more than a simple headshot would. We know this is a cat, but the story and the emotions the image convey are multiple. This image is different. It is very well done technically, it intrigues and questions, and it piqued my interest. Those eyes are haunting.

This image is quite striking. The treatment of the hair and the eyes really makes the image. The only reason it did not make it to the Top 10 is because this is a classical image that I feel I have seen before. Though it is very well executed, I wanted to see a bit more.

The concept of this image is fantastic. What a fun portrait! But the treatment is a little heavy, the colours seem a little strange and maybe over-saturated. The dog is a little too orange/purple. I would have liked for the photographer to drop lower, and capture the head peeking out of the grass. It would have also been great if the dog was looking at the camera in that instance.

What a sweet image this is. It is maybe a little dark, but it is a great moment well captured.

This image definitively arrested me. I had to look at it to try and figure out what was happening. I think the concept of the bubbleheads works great with the doggies, and it is a fun image. And the tilted heads are a nice touch. It did not make it to the Top 10 because the dog portraits themselves were not as good as I would have wanted, in terms of expressions, light, etc.

We all know how cats love being in tight spaces like boxes, and this photograph is a wonderful homage to our felines’ weird habits. The composition is very successful. I like the fact that the box is off-centered in the composition - it plays with the idea of slight discomfort and awkwardness. But it's the expression of the cat that makes the image absolutely priceless.

The expression on the dog’s face works very well with the concept of the image. This is a great photo. It was a little too “stock” for me to put it in the Top 10, but it’s a great image.

The composition of this image is very good, and almost too perfect! This is a great portrait on location. It might lack a little something to make it to the Top 10, but it is a beautiful image of the king on his rock.

This image is very well done technically, and it is also fun and intriguing. The light is perfection and the photo is sharp. The turtle’s expression is priceless. Besides being technically very good, this image made me laugh and surprised me, and for that it definitively deserved a place in the Top 10 of this contest.

What a sweet, lovely portrait this is. You can feel all the tenderness between the dog and its owner in this very intimate photo. The composition makes you feel like you are the one cuddling with the dog. The softness of the fur is well balanced with the sharpened eye that is the real focus of the image. The look in the dog’s eye is beautifully captured by the photographer and it is full of emotions.

This is a very good image. The fish is a little too dark, I would have liked to see more details of the eyes and face. It did not make the Top 10 because it felt a little too “stock” photography to my taste, but it still is a very strong image, well composed and entertaining.

This is a great image. The subtle light works great to outline the black on black. Although I feel like I have seen similar images before, this one is very well done. I wish there was a little bit of light coming from the left, just to highlight the fur there a bit. If the idea was to only have the outline of the face in the light, then I feel the ear should disappear completely in the shadow.

This is a wonderfully composed and technically very successful image. The story is great and the models are adorable. What is not to like in this photograph? From the subjects and their expression to the cheering crowd of frogs and ducks in the background, and the foam on the head of these two little guys - every detail works great. The colors are fun, the staging excellent and the image is sharp where it needs to be. It was a clear winner for me, and not just because I have a soft spot for wet pets and little critters. It is just a fantastic image that celebrates what we love most about our pets: they make life fun.

This is a fierce portrait. It is a little over-processed, but in this case it works because of the expression of the dog and the harsh light.

A lot of care went into creating this image and all the elements are there to produce a great image. It did not make it to the Top 10 because it feels a little dark - I would have liked to see more light coming from the left side. Also, although it is fun, it is a little confusing, and the bread dominates the shot too much.

I love that goofy photo of a dog being silly. The light is nice, although the flash is a little too obvious. The shadow is a little too present to my taste, but it feels like an image that was captured like a snapshot. This is fun and well done.

This is a fantastic portrait in situ. The cat looks like an old lady sitting on her porch and watching life in a village in Italy. The black and white is perfectly mastered and the composition is very smart.

This image intrigues me. I enjoy the colours, the composition and the effect the artist achieved. This dog is on fire! It is a wonderful celebration of dogs’ energy and joie de vivre. The dog is no longer just a pet in this image, it is a free, wild being. I would want to see a whole series of these.

I like this beautiful silhouette image. The contrast is maybe a little too forced, and the sky a tiny bit too saturated. But the concept is great and the result is very good.

This is a great studio portrait. The expression is fun, the photographer seems to be a professional. And that’s the reason why I expect more: if your basics are covered, you know how to take a beautiful photograph and capture great expressions, take your work a step further. Play with more light for example. A hair light on this shot would have been fantastic. Also make sure the background is spotless (there is something on the left of his ear), that your exposure is perfect (a hot spot on his neck) and the image super sharp.

This is a great concept and should be explored more. The expression is between scary and goofy, beautiful and ugly. I would have liked to see a different expression.

With those eye and ears, the silhouette works great. Although technically the image is not very good (background, light, exposure, etc…), I believe there is a subject to be explored there!

This image has all the components to be great, especially with the gorgeous backdrop, but it is missing an additional source of light. I would have liked to either see the horse's shadow only (in which case the body language and position of the head should be a little different, so the silhouette really works), or the horse should have been lit up with a soft flash on the right side, or a reflector.

This is an adorable image. But what it lacks in my opinion is a bit more of the face. The mouth and the nose are cute, but without the other eye in the image, it is missing something.

This image has all the components to be a great photo: wonderful colors and light, beautiful subject. But the intention of the photographer is not very clear. The composition is a little unbalanced. The bottom part of the image with the table and fruit is distracting, and the image is cropped too close to the head. I think a different angel (higher or more to the right) would have worked better.