First request for C&C

[Randi]

First use of a DSLR, so just one shot for now.

 

[chammer]

hehe he's cute! great shot!

 

[Randi]

Thanks! His name is Berlin. I'm really interested in taking more professional looking shots of my critters and I'm trying to learn what it is that I'm doing wrong, and what I can improve upon. It's difficult when my subject is constantly moving though...

 

[manaheim]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! RAT!!!!

I love rats. Man what a shot though! Major close up... of a RAT!

So cute.

Actually pretty sharp and it looks like you got the focus almost perfect... there's literally almost nothing to the composition, though... surrounding area isn't interesting, he's dead center, kinda oddly cropped, slightly angled, yadda yadda yadda... It's still a damned cute shot of a funny little critter, but that's mostly it.

Think about different angles, interesting settings, intriguing lighting, colors, patterns, textures, etc.

 

[fiveoboy01]

Agreed, cute subject but compositon is blah. Maybe crop the sides really tight on that particular photo to make it a bit more interesting.

 

[Derrel]

When a subject is taller than it is wide, a vertical composition is usually the best idea, so I would suggest trying to shoot some verticals of your little pal whenever he's standing up like that. I hope you enjoy the new d-slr experience.

 

[Randi]

Great advice everyone! I really appreciate it. I need to be less scared of experimentation I suppose. Thank you!

 

[Samanax]

When photographing animals or people make sure you get the eyes in focus. This shot it looks like the focal point is somewhere between the nose and the eyes.

Did you do any post processing (photo editing) to this picture? Try increasing the saturation and contrast a bit and sharpen the image a little.

 

[Randi]

No, and to be honest, it never really occurred to me to do so. I will have to play around with it and see if I can improve it in that way. You're right about needing to focus on the eyes, but it is difficult for me to do so when I'm trying to catch them when they're still... they are quick little guys. Thanks!

 

[Samanax]

No, and to be honest, it never really occurred to me to do so. I will have to play around with it and see if I can improve it in that way. You're right about needing to focus on the eyes, but it is difficult for me to do so when I'm trying to catch them when they're still... they are quick little guys. Thanks!

Since you used the popup flash in this shot try it again at f/11 or higher and you'll get a a deeper DOF and the eyes might be in focus. Use Manual Mode and set the shutter speed and aperture yourself...set the shutter speed to 125 and the aperture to f/11 or higher, the flash should use the appropriate power to expose the shot properly.

 

[doogan]

Yes, I agree also about the eyes not being
quite in sharp focus. I know it may seem to
be a picky thing, but not really. Every 'portrait'
must have the eyes in sharp focus. What I do
is put my focus point right on the eye, and if
the nose or anything else is a bit out of focus,
then so be it, I think it adds interest anyway
to have some parts out of focus.

By the way I do like your shot, must be difficult
with a creature like this. Another thing I would
do is darken down the background a lot, the way
it is now I find somewhat distracting. For this I
use the burn tool in photoshop.
Happy shooting -Bob
______________________________________
http://www.dreamworldimages.ca
Pet Photography Business
Child Photography

 

[Dominantly]

First use of a DSLR, so just one shot for now.

He is awesome!

I adjust the white balance (Black off eyes, white brought in a little bit), Ran it through Denoise 3, ran it through Adjust 3- Exposure fix, then ran it through Adjust 3- Clarity.

 

[manaheim]

^^^ oof.

 

[Randi]

No, and to be honest, it never really occurred to me to do so. I will have to play around with it and see if I can improve it in that way. You're right about needing to focus on the eyes, but it is difficult for me to do so when I'm trying to catch them when they're still... they are quick little guys. Thanks!

Since you used the popup flash in this shot try it again at f/11 or higher and you'll get a a deeper DOF and the eyes might be in focus. Use Manual Mode and set the shutter speed and aperture yourself...set the shutter speed to 125 and the aperture to f/11 or higher, the flash should use the appropriate power to expose the shot properly.

Thanks for walking me through it... I am a *super* newb and clueless for the most part. I really appreciate you being so specific.

Also, I wasn't quite sure about what to use for the background, so I'm happy to have the suggestion of using a darker background, and maybe something solid for next time... something not as bright and more subtle.

Thanks!