Two Animal Shots

Hi,

here's two more pictures I took recently at the zoo. I didn't think much of them since my previous RAW processor didn't support cropping. When I went through the photos again after finally getting Lightroom, cropping the photos improved them greatly. However, I'm not sure if I like them enough to publish them. What do you guys think? I'm thankful for any constructive criticism.

HOSTED PHOTO
please log in to view hosted photos in full size.

HOSTED PHOTO
please log in to view hosted photos in full size.

Publish them where?

Well, at my dA account. Nothing fancy.

OK, I guess I phrased my request wrong.

Looking for any kind of C&C, be it on composition, postprocessing,... anything, really.

What are you drying to evoke from the subject(s) in the images? How did you try to visually execute that goal?

If you can answer those questions, your next shots will be better. I just feel like there is a lack of thought behind them. With that said though, you are on a photography forum, so that means you have the desire. Challenge yourself to do more than take a picture, because merely capturing a moment is nothing. Look at angle, light, composition, etc.

As for your reference to your crop. If an image is not moving before you crop it, then more often than not, it should be scrapped. It is the image that moves you, which might be improved with a crop, that you should edit in lightroom.

Keep up the work!

There's nothing very interesting to look at in either of them. They are your basic point and shoot images. The harsh full mid day sun isn't doing you any favors. Don't care for the fecal matter all over the place in the second one, the poor animal looks sickly. Sorry, recycle bin for both.