Animal Photography Photo Critique
Loving mother
by Ana Isabel Martinez
Views: 1222
Category: Animal Photography
Canon EOS 7D
Flash: None
Tripod: No
Description: Lens:Canon 100-400, Focal Length:95 mm Speed:1/125 F/5.6 ISO 100 In both pictures if see all >
Lens:Canon 100-400, Focal Length:95 mm Speed:1/125 F/5.6 ISO 100 In both pictures if possible I would like to know your opinion on editing these photos black and white. Thank you.
Photo Critique Summary
Subject of photo
7
Composition & Perspective
5
Focus
10
Use of camera, exposure & speed
6
Color & Lighting
6
Depth of field
10
General impression
7
Overall Rating
7.3
GuruShots Pro
Subject of photo:
7
A mother with a baby is a pretty compelling subject in my opinion.
Composition & Perspective:
5
For me, the composition doesn't work too well as I'd prefer to see a bit more of the mother cow's head.
Focus:
10
Very well done
Use of camera, exposure & speed:
6
I think there is room for improvement here because either the photo is quite under exposed, or the photo has been too overly processed in software.
Color & Lighting:
6
The colors and lighting are both a bit subdued for my tastes.
Depth of field:
10
Depth-of-field looks perfect.
General impression:
7
Hi Ana,
Another strong effort from you. My concerns are with the way the image is cropped as I'd prefer to see a bit more of the head of the mother cow. I also have some issues with the lighting, color and exposure of the image as the image looks a little muddy on my monitor.
Overall though I think you caught a tremendous moment here.
In terms of a black & white conversion of this image, I think it could definitely work. Especially if some grain was added and the photo was given a very classic "old school" sort of look.
Keep up the great work!
Sincerely,
Paul
How to improve your photo
1.
To my eye, the photo looks under exposed. One of the most valuable tools that digital cameras come with is the histogram. Learning to read and understand the histogram available for each picture that you create will help you to create better exposed images. Just Google the term "understanding digital camera histograms" and reading the article at the first entry will give you a good understanding of how to work with your histogram.
2.
When I'm framing an image, I always want to make conscious decisions about both what I'm including in my images and what I'm excluding. And, if I'm making a decision to exclude some part of a body (being it human or animal), I want it to look intentional instead of accidental. With the head of the mother cropped the way it is, it looks more unintentional to my eye than it looks intentional.
3.
This photo also appears to have been processed in software and for myself it goes a bit too far. The grass especially looks a bit too subdued for my liking. If this photo was processed in software, I would prefer seeing a slightly lighter hand used when applying modifications.
Get feedback on your photos from Pro Paul Burwell