To ask your opinion of these photos?

[Forentive]

I am currently using my iPhone 14 pro for my photography, but I’m hoping to upgrade to a Canon 1300D in the next couple of days, but I would like to know first if people think I have potential? I don’t want to waste a couple of hundred if I am delusional about my skills!

My DH is a pro photographer and says you have a good eye. With a better camera, you should get good results. Go for it!

I don’t know anything about photography but that dog is adorable 🥰

Thank you! The quality has been wiped uploading them to here, they are much sharper!

Love your dog! I think you’ve captured him beautifully, his character. And the photos also feel atmospheric. My favourite is the one with the stick.

edit, there’s two with the stick! The one where he’s turning away from it.

Idk anything about photography. Just putting that out there lol. I wouldn't have the cars in the background of the one picture. But the rest look really good! My favourite is the one with the stick. Also, the sky gives a good atmosphere. I like them anyway. Go for it, OP.

Potential for what? Sharing on WhatsApp with family and friends? Entering a beautiful dog contest? Making a living at pet photography?

Firstly, what a beautiful dog.

If I were to be super fussy, then the second photo is the only one I really feel has merit.

On the first one, the background (house etc) is not very picturesque, and I feel the fourth one would be better if there was hills behind, rather than the indistinct, white houses. On the third one, it would be better if the dog was looking at the stick, rather than something off camera.

Hi OP. Pro photographer here. The first one I would point the camera the other way so as not to get the cars etc in the background. The 2nd one where the dog is looking to the left, I would put more space in front of his nose rather than behind so your eyes go to where he is looking. Oh and make sure your horizons are straight. Great job, a DSLR will make a huge difference!

Unfortunately he is quite hard to get to stay still, so I have to try to take my chance when I get it! So sadly they are mostly candid shots. Maybe if I work on my training at the same time as my photography, he’ll be a better model

Beautiful dog! 😍

I was into photography a few years ago, a keen amateur I suppose. I had a friend at the time who taught me a lot, you may benefit from joining a photography club so you can learn about aperture, focal length etc. You could obviously self teach, but I felt it was good to have someone teaching me (I usually like to self teach).

I also entered challenges on this website https://www.dpchallenge.com/. Each challenge has a theme like a colour or "autumn landscape" or something like that. The other members score each photograph and can give feedback. There's no prizes or anything, it's just for learning. I definitely had to put my ego aside for some of my scores, but it was genuinely really helpful feedback.

I like your photos, I'd suggest thinking about the purpose of each photo, like what is it you're trying to capture and why.

Just snaps for me, nice as keepsakes and adorable dog.

Very nice. If you like bokeh, make sure you get a 50mm f1.8 lens to go with your DSLR.

See i like the cars I'm the background. I think they're lovely

How do you want to progress your photography? Just get better at it as a hobby to your own pleasure? Take it up as a professional career? Enter competitions?

I agree with joining a club, you can learn more about various techniques and also get information on which equipment is best for your chosen subject matter and why you want to do with your photography.

They're nice, but they're casual snaps, imo. The first one has the least merit, mostly because of the poor background which blends with the dog's head.

Think about the whole image, not just the focal point. What are you trying to show? Just the dog doesn't make for an interesting image - show the viewer what the dog is interested in, what he's looking at, how he fits in his surroundings, the feel of his movements. Play with depth of field, that can make a huge difference especially if you're stuck with a busy background.

Get a few photography magazines so you can think critically about your images - and judge the merit of others' work. The photography challenge a pp mentioned is also a good idea. A good camera will help, but practicing thinking about the shot as you take it will do more.

I.mean they add to the composition not that they're particularly lovely cars.😆

This.

They're pretty good. Watch out for backgrounds and keep the horizon line straight not at an angle. Look for better lighting conditions as the lighting is a bit gloomy. Keep practicing, that's how people get good at photography.

Top and bottom on the right are nice. The middle on the right has the balance / angle wrong. The main picture has a boring background. Doesn't look like you are "natural", but then it's easier to improve with good equipment. Also, why should only an aspiring pro treat herself to a nice piece of kit? Even as a hobby this is well worth it. I bought my DP a similar semi-pro camera as a birthday present - it hasn't seen much use over the years :( but no regrets.

Good start, taking dog photos with a phone is a challenge!

Hope you enjoy your Canon 1300D, as you're probably aware there are lots of EF and EF-S lenses on the used market as users move to mirrorless cameras.

I would consider:
a Canon EF 70-200mm F/4L USM
(£300 used). or with "IS" (image stabilisation") or F2.8 for lots more money.

Canon EF50 F1.8 (AKA the plastic fantastic)

If you haven't done already consider shooting RAW rather than JPEG, as it gives you more flexibility in processing later.

If it's something you enjoy and something you want to improve at, then invest in the camera and practice practice practice.

I'm not expert...perhaps, as others have said, they can be iimproved but, in my opinion, you've captured the personality of the dog. The rest comes with experience. Perhaps find a tutor for a few pointers? I think they are lovely photos.

So do you play about with the settings on your phone then?

You’ve captured your dog’s essence though, that’s what he does. I don’t like posed photos and I like the gloominess of the weather.

Do you edit any photos? Learn how to edit and get a good fast lens and you’ll be away with a dslr. Set to aperture priority for lots of light and bokeh and you’ll get some gorgeous images. Pro photographer here too.