An alligator, some flowers, and a birdhouse

[patrickatm08]

Howdy,

I am completely new to the forum (have been lingering for about a week) and this is my first post. I got a new camera for my birthday about a month ago and decided to try some "real" photos. It is not a dSLR, rather a full body/ mega zoom.

I took these photos at a state park near my home. These are some of my favorite for the day. They have almost zero post production, outside of moving the "sharpen" slider in Apple's iPhoto. Please give me some constructive criticism and comments that I can actually use. I understand basic terms, such as aperture, shutter speed, rule of thirds, etc, but I am (as you can tell) not shooting for National Geographic...

I tried to focus on the simplicity of the birdhouse and stillness of its surroundings.

I used a smaller f/stop to narrow the focus.

I thought this was a great shot!

Thanks in advance for all your help!

 

[Toni Marie]

Hi, welcome to the forum. I really like #3, how close were you to the alligator.

 

[patrickatm08]

I got pretty close. It was an awesome, humbling, and inspiring experience.

 

[quickshot]

That last picture startles me. He's pretty well hidden, and so close up. Scary.....!