[mfwild13]

I have just signed up to this forum and am lreally keen to get some feedback on a few of my images.

Not sure whether I should have split this up into several posts or not so apologies if I have got it wrong.

No.1 is a Meercat at Animal Kingdom, Florida - slightly strange OOF effect on background probably due to Canon DO lens (70-300).



No.2 is a dolphin jumping near its trainer at Sea World, Florida - this is one of those nearly but not quite photo's.



No.3 is a gull flying over the beach at Solva, S Wales.



No.4 is a raptor at Warwick Castle - shame about the background hence tight crop.



No.5 is a youth cycling on beach at low tide.



No.6 is a police helicoptor hovering locally.



No.7 is a pigeon on next doors roof.



No.8 is another gull over the beach but showing some motion.



No.9 is a gorilla having a paddle - must learn how to sort out the overexposed water in photoshop.



Thats all for now!!!

Looking forward to any comments.

Regards

Mark

[stepheno]

Some super shots there - the meerkat, first gull and raptor What did the boy on the bike do when he came across the gorilla

PS - if you have overexposed or burnt out highlights (the water) you can't bring it back in Photoshop - better to underexpose in the first place, then you can adjust.

regards

[daveyuk]

Number 4 then number 1 for me cracking shots

[SammyC]

Just shows how powerful that gorilla is, nice work.

[Matty]

lovely shots, i will have a closer look in a moment as i have to go back to work....

[CT]

Nice shots. I particularly like the meerkat, the first gull, and the cyclist.

Meerkat.

If it's a crop then I'd definitely crop it again putting the meerkat closer to the left of the frame rather than have him plonked right in the middle.

Gull.

No doubt this is a crop and you've cropped him to fill the frame which isn't always the best idea, and has also resulted in an odd sized picture format. If you wanted to frame this picture you'd have a lot of trouble finding a frame to fit. For that reason it's a good idea to always crop to the original 3:2 proportions where you can. He looks like he's about to fly out of the frame with his current position - if you cropped putting him to the left of the picture with more space in front of him, you'd have a far more balanced looking shot. It's an excellent sharp capture and worth spending some time getting right.

When photographing animals, rather than trying to fill the frame with the largest image you can, (we all do it) try to think of the overall balance and composition of the shot.

[Matty]

i like what CT has done there, shows how much composition can really make a difference, for me the meerkat, seagul and gorilla are the best shots.

Definately. The composition of those has made all the difference.

You know I didn't even notice the 'extra' backgrounds that CT has 'put in'...lol
The one with the gull is stunning to say its a 'fudge'.

The meerkat shot is the one for me though

[mfwild13]

Wow. Thanks for all the feedback and support, especially from CT for the 'quick fixes' to show the effect. I am amazed how good they look. I only have Photoshop Elements 3 at the moment, am I wasting my time learing that or is it a good stepping stone before moving into CS2?

I know I have a lot to learn especially regarding composition and also editing the image for best effect and really appreciate any feedback.

I have re-cropped the gull as suggested although I'm not sure it as good as CT's!


Source image 3Mb


I took three pictures of the Meercat and would be interested to know if you think I chose the best one to show here initially (all shown uncropped).

No.11

Source image 3Mb


No.12

Source image 3Mb


No.3 uncropped

Source image 3Mb


The same goes for the cyclist (well only two images).

No.13

Source image 3Mb


No.5 uncropped

Source image 3Mb


Many thanks

Mark

[CT]

Your seagull crop is loads better Mark, and I think you chose the better of the three meerkat pics. If you can get it, eye contact is great with animals, or at least head turned towards the camera.

I still like the bike shot you posted the best, and you can get away with the tightish upright crop because he's turning INTO the picture, there's no compelling reason to leave room in front of him.

Interestingly, in your second bike shot, you can argue a case for leaving space behind him and placing him nearer to the left of the frame as he's looking backwards, and you also have the tyre tracks behind him as interest.

Excellent shots, you just need to get out of plonking your subjects in the middle of the frame which is what the focus lock button is for.

[CT]

Sorry - it doesn't matter what editing package you use, but pick a good one you wont outgrow, and then stick with it. Swapping from one to the other is very confusing, so as long as the package is of the quality of Photoshop or Paint Shop Pro it's not really important. It takes time to really get into these packages and they can seem daunting at first.

I'm also hearing good things about The Gimp which is supposed to be excellent ...and FREE!! :icon_cool

[IanC_UK]

Originally Posted by CT

Sorry - it doesn't matter what editing package you use, but pick a good one you wont outgrow, and then stick with it. Swapping from one to the other is very confusing, so as long as the package is of the quality of Photoshop or Paint Shop Pro it's not really important. It takes time to really get into these packages and they can seem daunting at first.

I'm also hearing good things about The Gimp which is supposed to be excellent ...and FREE!! :icon_cool

But requires Linux to run doesnt it ?

Oooooh ill take that back ! Just found a windows installer ! LOL

[CT]

I might have to have a look at that Ian.