Cheetah

Just went to the zoo yesterday (it was pretty cloudy since it had just rained) and took some pics... I kind of like this shot out of the bunch, what do you think?

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It looks like there was no thought given to the image...just a snapshot of the Cheetah. Next time wait for the whole animal to be visible or go for just a head shot. PP needs work.
Squeezing the shutter is only part of the process.

chauncey wrote in post #12481628
It looks like there was no thought given to the image...just a snapshot of the Cheetah. Next time wait for the whole animal to be visible or go for just a head shot. PP needs work.
Squeezing the shutter is only part of the process.

Actually, I wasn't really worried about the composition, I think it works. How much thought can you give to a Cheetah when it's running? I don't think that just because the entire subject isn't in the frame (in this case the log is blocking part of the leg) it's wrong... I was thinking more that the cheetah's right eye is a bit on the dark side, etc. But, thanks for the feedback

Taking photos of beasts in the zoo is always about composition.you want it to look as uncluttered as you possibly can.Its mostly positioning yourself to get the best angle. Tough sometimes, but patience will pay off.Crop this one as well..you want the cheetah to shine, not the log.

Wow, a little rough on this one guys...I like the picture, I just would like the eyes brighter. The focus is on point…maybe with the right crop and some pp it could be great.

not "rough" at all.this is C&C..less time in processing is what the goal should be , so getting it as close to right as you can in camera is fabulous.

I would overlook any technical issues to get a shot of a cheetah that is in stalking mode and looking right at ME as if I'm a buffet item. I'd lighten the eyes a bit, but otherwise, I love this shot.

Flo wrote in post #12482842
not "rough" at all.this is C&C..less time in processing is what the goal should be , so getting it as close to right as you can in camera is fabulous.

Well right but I just think it's not all horrible and that's all that was said at first.

No one said it was horrible, they just gave honest critique.

I think it's a very nice shot.
Sure, I don't like the log in there, and I think it could be a tad warmer.

I think it's an okay photo of a cheetah in a zoo with an SLR and not a point 'n shoot. I do agree somewhat that if you're in the zoo and in no danger of getting eaten and the animal doesn't have anywhere to go really, one can really use that time to frame the photo as close to perfect as possible. Then again you said you didn't really care much for the composition...so nice photo.

Ok, here is a crop, is this better?

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Okay sorry arch for muddying up this thread.

arch.cm - I prefer the original to the heavy crop.....it is not that bad.
Anyway, I agree that the eyes need to be brightened which would have been impossible to see when you shot it. The fix is very simple - use a medium soft brush and about the size of the eye and use the dodge tool (just like when we did it in the darkroom). You might need to do it twice. I am assuming you have the SW that has this or use some sort of mask on the eyes only and increase exposure.

jerefish wrote in post #12483282
Okay sorry arch for muddying up this thread.

That's ok! I think feedback is great whether it's positive or negative as long as it's constructive

I just don't get why either the whole body of the animal has to show or just the head in a composition when there are shots like this by National Geographic:

http://animals.nationa​lgeographic.co.in …ls/printable/ch​eetah.html

http://news.nationalge​ographic.com/news/bigp​hotos/81122945.html

Obviously, mine isn't even close to those (I'm just an amateur). When we go to the zoo aren't we trying to take a picture of an animal as if it were in the wild? There are gonna be logs, trees, grass, etc. in the way.

Spike44 wrote in post #12483327
arch.cm - I prefer the original to the heavy crop.....it is not that bad.
Anyway, I agree that the eyes need to be brightened which would have been impossible to see when you shot it. The fix is very simple - use a medium soft brush and about the size of the eye and use the dodge tool (just like when we did it in the darkroom). You might need to do it twice. I am assuming you have the SW that has this or use some sort of mask on the eyes only and increase exposure.

Yeah, actually in the crop I used the dodge tool to lighten up the eye... maybe it needs some more work?

I think I like the original one as well