Learning the ropes

[CarlosFrazao]

hi guys my name is Carlos and I'm from South Africa, I started photographing about 4 months ago and have found a love for wildlife photography and the challenges that goes with it including birds. Most of my images will are taken from rietvlei nature reserve which holds the record for being the biggest nature reserve in an urban area in the world, which I think is pretty cool... Please do criticize and any advice would be very welcome to help improve my skill in getting those perfect shots thanks once again will be adding loads of images as I can..

Swallow just having a little morning stretch

 

[LarryLomona]

Wonderful shot.

 

[WesternGuy]

Carlos, welcome to the forum. This is a very good capture in my opinion. You have the bird in the right upper thirds position looking to the right; you have a catch light in its right eye; and you have made very good use of negative space. If you aren't sure about these "terms", then Google is your friend and will yield a lot more information than I could give you.

The image itself is simple and not cluttered which always helps to make for a good composition. The watermark is a bit distracting and I would suggest you make it smaller, maybe half the size. For your information, if you think having a watermark will prevent anyone from "stealing" your image, then you should know that it won't prevent this. Anyone with a little knowledge of Photoshop can remove it in a few seconds if they want to take your image. It might make some folks think twice about stealing your image, but if they really want it, it won't.

WesternGuy

 

[Sean Stevens Phoenix]

Like the image, it feels like it could be used with wording added in the right side (if that makes sense).

Agree with the above on the watermark. I'd either make it half the size or a lighter color so it does not stand out as much.

 

[CarlosFrazao]

Thanks so much guys yeah I agree with the watermark I have to decide what I'm going to do with it still just feel so proud knowing it's something I did so like having my name on it lol....