Animal Photography Photo Critique
Duck on Pond
by Dennis Ellis
Views: 1323
Category: Animal Photography
Canon 550D
Lens: Zoom: Variable focal
Exposure time: 1/100 ,
F-stop: F8
ISO: 100
Flash: None
Tripod: No
Description: The morning was crisp & the water was calm, the ducks just looked so perfect that mor see all >
The morning was crisp & the water was calm, the ducks just looked so perfect that morning. the whole scene was tranquil & thats what I am trying to convey in this capture.
Photo Critique Summary
Subject of photo
8
Composition & Perspective
6
Focus
9
Use of camera, exposure & speed
9
Color & Lighting
8
Depth of field
6
General impression
7
Overall Rating
7.6
GuruShots Pro
Subject of photo:
8
Lovely duck on a calm pond, what's not to like?
Composition & Perspective:
6
The composition is pretty good, but it is negatively affected by the angle this photograph was made at.
Focus:
9
Focus looks to be excellent
Use of camera, exposure & speed:
9
All of this looks to be well done
Color & Lighting:
8
Nice morning light and great color of the duck contrasting against the green colored water is excellent
Depth of field:
6
I'd have preferred to have seen this shot with a decreased depth-of-field by using a larger aperture (smaller f-stop number)
General impression:
7
Hi Dennis,
I share your love of ducks and there really is nothing better than a fine sunny morning along with photographing ducks on a pond.
I think that this is an excellent effort. My critiques come from the presumption that it would have been possible to make a "perfect" photo of this duck. Of course, real life (like obstacles, etc) often make perfection impossible so please take these critiques in the positive way they are intended.
This photo could be improved by having you shooting at a lower angle to the duck. As shot, we are looking down at the duck. Photos tend to be more compelling when we the viewer at placed at the same eye level as the animal. Another thing that would have made this photo slightly stronger is if the duck had a slight bit of a head turn towards us, the viewer.
Keep up the great work and I look forward to seeing more of your work in the future.
Best regards,
Paul
How to improve your photo
1.
Get your lens as close to possible to the water and shoot parallel to it. Doing so will provide more compelling images as it puts the viewer at the same level as the animal.
2.
Bird photos tend to be more compelling when the bird has a slight head turn towards the viewer. It helps the viewer connect to the photo.
3.
In the specifications, you mention that you used an f-stop of F8 for this image. I'm not sure what lens you were using for this shot, but I'm betting its maximum aperture was F5.6 if not a larger F4. Shooting wider open allows for the background to be blurrier (out of focus) and that helps provide separation between the subject and the background.
Get feedback on your photos from Pro Paul Burwell