Gators

[OviV]

These are some pictures that I snapped in an Everglades canal that borders Tamiami Trail (A historic road that connects the East coast of Florida to the West coast of florida). I had my tripod with me but was to lazy to set it up (and the mosquitos were chewing on me pretty good). Tell me what you think and maybe how I might improve them in the future. I love nature photography and I am looking to improve my skills. Don't tell me that a way to improve them is better equipment, I already know that but can't afford L. ;)

These were all taken with a DRebel and Canon 75-300 III lens on an overcast afternoon.

http://www.shareapicture.com/vsalbum/getpic.aspx?fld=\OviV\Photography\2003-12-14%20Gators&pic=110_1078_RT8.jpg&W=640&H=480&OV=0

http://www.shareapicture.com/vsalbum/getpic.aspx?fld=\OviV\Photography\2003-12-14%20Gators&pic=110_1075_RT8.jpg&W=640&H=480&OV=0

http://www.shareapicture.com/vsalbum/getpic.aspx?fld=\OviV\Photography\2003-12-14%20Gators&pic=110_1076_RT8.jpg&W=640&H=480&OV=0

[beansoup]

i like the last one best. what i think would make your pictures better, is if you could get closer to the object in question. it's nice to see the whole alligator, but whether it's just my personal preference or not, I think that it would look really cool if you could zoom up for a headshot of the gator. instead of having his whole body and surroundings, maybe just have his eye/mouth.
nice pictures though.

[OviV]

beansoup,

I agree wholeheartedly. Unfortunately, I would have needed a longer lens for these since there was a canal between them and me and I was not about to swim it. ;)

The last pic is as close as I could get with my 75-300.

Ovi

[ChrisNardone]

These pictures are good. To make them better use a flash. If nothing else it will put a sparkle in the gators dull eyes. Also, cheaper lenses can still give great results, you just have to stop them down. Shoot 2-3 f stops smaller than wide open. So with your 75-300 f/4-5.6 shoot at f/8-11. Also don't shoot at 300mm. If possible shoot a little under that. Finally, use the tripod.
I really do like the first picure. I'm a big fan of reflections. I like the first picture also because of that rock below the surface. I think if you panned down more to get more water and less of the distracting brush it would be better.

[jim monroe]

I won't comment on the exposure or technical details. Generally I think they are okay. The photos lack punch. There is nothing that makes them stand out. As stated earlier the first photo has the start of a nice reflection but the background is distracting and not very interesting. Looks almost like a very overgrown field but would like to see something more jungle like. Also need to get lucky and have the gator move to where you can really play up the reflection or something that again gives the picture some punch.
Also composition is not particularly interesting. Can play with composition a lot with digital photography by trying various croppings of the photos. Look at various threads on this forum regarding composition.
I agree with earlier comment equipment is a big issue on these forums but as some do point out it is generally overblown in relation to what your mind sees.

[OviV]

Thanks for the input guys.

chrisnardone,
Flash was not an option due to the distance between me and the Gators. Does shooting less apperture give me more sharpness? Why not shoot at 300 MM? Is it due to the shaking and if so would the tripod solve that problem or is it because the lens quality is further degraded at that zoom level?

Jim,
I agree with your comments on the composition. I am learning everyday but sometimes when photographing animals I tend to rush the shots. Something which was unnecessary in this instance since those Gators were not going anywhere.

Again, thank you for your opinions,
Ovi

[stopbath]

I like the second shot the most. The tail going up from the water is great.

The colours are very rich, but the contrast is low (well, it was a low contrast day.)

Too bad his face is sort of buried in the water.

Not sure, but the third shot seems a bit soft.

As for most zoom lenses, they usually have the best optics at the either range of the zoom and the best clarity is about 2 or 3 stops in from wide open. Do your own testing for your lens to determine what's best.

[ChrisNardone]

A flash might still reflect a little in the eyes. As far as not shooting at exactly 300mm, it's the same reason you want to stop down the aperture a little. It's at the extreme focal length and wide open that lenses will show their weakness. i.e. chromatic aberration (usually purple fringing around edges of bright objects) And stopping the lens down will also produce better sharpness. The downside is you will need slower shutter speeds and thus a tripod.

[barnold999]

Since you seem to be new to the digital SLR field let me give you a few general pointers:

FIRST:
Read the manual! Read the Manual! Read the Manual!
Canon, it its manuals, gives you a basic idea of shutter speeds, apertures, etc, and that will help dramaticaly.

SECOND:
DSLRs need post processing, such as editing the brigthness/contrast and levels in a graphics program like photoshop to fix exposure, I played with it for a few seconds in photoshop, and it looked much better.

THIRD:
TAKE PHOTOS! (you look like you are good here.) This is the best thing to do. Since you are on digital, play with the aperture, play with the shutter speed, see how adjusting those affect your photo. Shoot in AV or TV mode, and look at the exposures... and you will learn A LOT!

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I will critique the last photo, since it is my favorite. (Remember when you post here you are asking for criticism)

Good job on capturing an interesting subject matter.

Things you can improve on:

Though, at times, higher angles look good, usually getting at "eye level" of an animal (or child for that matter) looks better.

Color can be better (Look at my second general suggestion)

Composition, I am not objecting to it highly... but a rule in composition (that can be broken all the time) is divide the photo in 3rds... try to lay your main subject matter on one of the thirds... personally I would of framed the alligator higher, so you would get more swamp... (that is more interesting than the swamp)
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If you want to know anything else let me know.

You are off to a good start, keep shooting.

[OviV]

Again thanks for the replies. I am well aware that I am asking for critisism so I do not take any of it personally.

I understand the need for post processing. These pics were all shot in RAW format and I adjusted the lighting and colors to my liking. My monitor may not be calibrated correctly. I need to work on that. It was an overcast day and I kind of wanted to convey that so I left the pictures a bit on the darker side.

Ovi