Trying to be patient

[rickinto]

So I am pretty new to the whole photography thing and I am trying to be more patient with my shooting. I was at the zoo yesterday and instead of taking a million pics I took about 100 or so. Here is one that I thought was good, I like the fact that the Elephant seemed to be looking right at me and that he/she looked ready to walk on over.

Anyways I would love to hear your comments on the shot so that I can continue to improve.

Thanks

http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa90/rickinto/canon%20contest/IMG_3054.jpg

[racingsafetyman]

I can see why you like that shot, it does look like the elephant is looking right at you!

Because the elephant is in the shade, it's quite difficult to obtain a shot where the animal "pops" from the screen and it looks a bit flat. If you wanted to improve the shot, that is what I would be considering. You could try adjusting the levels/curves within photoshop (if you have it) to try and boost it a bit.

I would also look to crop out some of the top of the picture, as it doesn't add anything in my opinion and also it should be fairly simple to clone out the post in photoshop.

I'm sure others will add more comments, but hope that helps a little.

[Kevan_G9]

I agree with the cropping and pp work. Also, when you have those magic opportunities...try to squeeze off some extra shots changing the exposure some just so you have some options.

[denncald]

I would also suggest getting a polarizing filter. Your sky can then turn blue instead of gray/white. This means you would probably need an adapter tube to attach the filter to, but in a pinch you can just hold the filter up to your camera's lens, which I've done on occasion.

Dennis

[rickinto]

Hey guys..thanks for the critique and the advice..I brought my macbook to work, so maybe I will try to do some post editing in som of my spare time.

I do have a UV filter on the camera when I took this shot, I also have a polarizing filter, but opted not to bring it with me on this trip to the zoo , as the day started off really cloudy and overcast. I thought the filter would make things too dark.

Bwolford, thanks for the edit, that made the Elephant really "pop" in my humble opinion.

[Vetteography]

The polarizing filter helps even more on cloudy days, I think.

That image could be saved with a little creative editing, do a 3D type thing with the elephant coming out of the frame and cut down on the sky...

[rickinto]

okay so I had a little time to do some stuff on another phot...posting a before and after processing pic...

Before:
http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa90/rickinto/canon%20contest/IMG_3053.jpg

After Crop and curve adjustment:
http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa90/rickinto/canon%20contest/elecrop.jpg

I think the cropped version is a lot better.

[Vetteography]

Just because it was fun playing with your first photo.. I figured that since the sky was already blown out, why not use it, add a big white border? Then I kept playing...

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f260/preacherspulpit/Misc/Elephant3D.jpg

[rickinto]

wow that was awesome...

[Dmab]

...instead of taking a million pics I took about 100 or so...]

off-topic, but that is the beauty of digital photography. You can take as many pictures as you want and the only thing you lose is the time needed to sift through them.

I'll agree though if it was your intention to limit your shots because you were working on better composition and timing. Never a bad thing :)