Family Hideout

[CD51]

Spotted this group through the leaves.

 

[BoblyBill]

Well, this picture needs a lot of work I'm afraid. I've been thinking about what to say about this all day, but I just have gotten around to writing it all down without sounding to harsh or condescending. My intent in writing this is help you see some things that could really help improve your photography. I asked my wife what she thought of the picture, and she said she wasn't sure what she was looking at. She said she kept getting distracted by the light areas of water and her mind couldn't determine what she was supposed to see. I had to point out to her that there were ducks in the background and even then I had to guide her to where they were. And with out a title, this picture might not be understood at all nor would anybody see the ducks in the background. You know the ducks are there because you WHERE there, but for the rest of us, we are starting with a blank page and trying to decipher what we are looking at. It is your job as the photographer to guide us there by using basic art rules (that can be broken but with caution). A picture (in most cases IMHO) should live up to a name without one given it. If you look at a great shot of an owl flying that is in focus while it's doing some cool action like catching its prey in mid flight that picture supports itself. Does this shot need a name? There is only one thing in focus, and you know that he spent a lot of time and effort getting into a position to get this shot. Unfortunately for your picture, there is SO much stuff in the way that unless you were going for something completely abstract with blotches of color and some vague resemblance of wildlife then this picture works I guess? But my guess is that you saw something that you thought was interesting and took a picture of it because you might have thought you couldn't get a better angle or you were afraid that by the time that you did, the subject would have been scared off. What I'd like to see is more pictures of these ducks. My bet is they are going to be there for a while. Go back there and plan out a way to get really close. Use the longest lens you got use the widest aperture with the slowest ISO you can muster without bluring the image and come back here with a shot with a single duck with a nice blurry milky background. Photography (especially wildlife and landscape) takes an extraordinary amount of patience. You have to be intentional about what you want. Visualizing what you want, and then planning to get in position is half the battle. Even in the fast paced world of wedding photography, one needs to plan out where they will be at every part of a wedding and that takes (in some cases) months (I know I've been there done that). Keep your head up high, go out there and be intentional with your photography. Imagine what your end result is like then go out there and grab it.

 

[IzzieK]

This a cute shot! I see faces hiding everywhere here...two with just an eye peeking thru. I love the puzzle you created here. The first on the 11:55 o'clock is the first one I saw when I opened your post so I looked for more...and more. Very intriquing and very interesting. What a creative way to do a shot...care to tell me (us) how you achieved this one? I am really interested...

 

[CD51]

Hi BoblyBill and lzzieK, you correct BoblyBill I was going for effect on this picture. At times when I am walking around if I catch wildlife at still moments I like to try and get a framed effect shot. In this case When I first spotted the ducks I had a better opening, but wildlife can often be uncooperative subjects so I took the best opportunity they gave me. lzziek I shoot a mixture of manual focus and auto when I walk around for a framed shot I found that you have to manual focus because the auto focus will go crazy trying to focus on what you want. I also try to use an f/stop between 8 and 11 if possible, as I don't own expensive glass that preforms great when opened up. In this case I was using my Sigma DG it is the non APO version. BoblyBill I do appreciate the your post and advise and you are correct at some point I will get these guys on the open water, it's going to be a little harder for this family because they are in one of three marshes. The marsh this family is in is surrounded in allot of cover so as you posted with patience they can be caught in the opening. This shot is more of the effect I was going for, I didn't post it as it is yet another heron.