I went to the zoo yesterday

[hellziggy]

And since I went to the zoo, you get pic spam!

Golden Lion Tamarin


Buckeye


Sweta the giraffe's eye



You can find more pics in my gallery starting HERE

Comments

[boliviafang.livejournal.com]

Suricata suricatta!

Cropping

[gunthar.livejournal.com]

Do you have a general rule or philosophy when it comes to cropping?

You seem to prefer tight borders, even in full figure shots. It gives your images a very direct, almost confrontational, aspect. But it also robs them of a sense of movement and action in favor of a 'freeze frame' sort of look.

I don't quite understand the cropping on your closeups. The borders seem to chop off bits of your subject that do not seem to be to their best advantage.

The first image is a wonderful shot of the Tamarin's face. To me that is the whole focal point of the image. However, the Tamarin's rear end is being chopped off by the edge of the frame. In my opinion the framing detracts from the image.

Likewise, the top edge of the Buckeye photo clips off the tip of the insect's wing. The top edge also presses down on the Buckeye, like it's holding it down. A little more empty space at the top of the image would give subject some visual space to move into. This would also give the viewer the impression that the Buckeye could flit up and away at any second. Giving your subject empty space to move into really adds to the illusion of motion and lively vitality.

I think the last image is nearly perfect. But the triangle of background in the upper right corner is distracting.

I hope you find my comments constructive. My apologies if I have offended or completely misunderstood the effects you were trying to capture.

[hellziggy.livejournal.com]

Your wish is my command

[boliviafang.livejournal.com]

Adorable! Maaaan, I have got to get out to the Zoo!

[yaaren.livejournal.com]

these are fantastic. your photography has grown by so many leaps and bounds since I met you!

ROCKSTAR!

Re: Cropping

[hellziggy.livejournal.com]

About the only general rules I have are to keep the same proportions as the original (2:3) if I crop on the computer and to do what "looks right." But yes, I do ten to prefer closer crops. Dunno why, just a personal preference thing I think.
I think you're right about the tamarin. It should be focused more on the face.
On the Buckeye photo the darn thing flapped it's wings and the only one I liked the focus in was the one where the wing hit the edge.
But I don't agree about the edge on the picture of Sweta. When I look at it cropped in to remove that it feels a little too abstract to me.
Constructive comments are fine. :) I know you not trying to tell me I suck or anything. (And even if you were, I'd still do what I liked!)

Re: Cropping

[gunthar.livejournal.com]

I sympathize on the Buckeye.

I had a similar frustrating time with a treefull of monarch butterflies. They must have been gathering to migrate because there were just a huge number of them. 'Wow. What a great photo oportunity' I thought to myself. But butterflies spend 90% of their time sitting with their wings closed and only the dull colored outside showing.

I spent two hours running back and forth between two trees, blew two rolls of film ($ cha $ ching $) and only got three decent pictures out of the deal.

Butterflies are made for digital photography.

A good technique to use in this case, or for any subject that you expect to make a sudden move, is zoom out so that there is a "cushion" of space around the subject to allow for your reaction time. That way when the subject moves (spreads it's arms/wings or lunges up/down/left/right), it can't move out of frame in the fraction of time it takes your finger to press the shutter release.

I use this technique a lot in my CONvergence photos to capture people gesturing. A person who talks with their hands makes a much more interesting picture than someone who just stands there.

Ah, I did misunderstand your intention with the giraffe photo. I thought you wanted an abstract look.

I never get constructive comments on my photos, even though I ask for them. It make me a teeny bit careful about offering them to others. I am certainly not deluded into think that my style is the One True style.

Re: Cropping

[hellziggy.livejournal.com]

The other frustrating thing I've found about butterflies is that when you are trying to identify them if you have the underside of their wings, all the pictures in the books that you think might be the right kind are showing the tops of the wings, and vice versa. And that's not even taking into account the butterfly species where the male & female are different! It wouldn't be a big deal if not for my anal retentive need to put the names and taxonomy with my pictures...

And yes, butterflies are definitely digital photography material! I'm just so used to trying to crop in camera that I forget that I can just as easily leave a little extra space and use photoshop to trim the edges. When I'm shooting at the zoo, it could be a perfect picture of the critter and I won't be happy with it if there is a fence showing so I tend to crop in because of that too. Too many photo teachers requiring full frame prints makes it tough to purposely leave stuff I don't want!

I did want the giraffe abstract, just not so much that it was unidentifiable. (Not that it could be anything else with that pattern!)


I am certainly not deluded into think that my style is the One True style.
Well, duh! My style is the One True style! ;)

[hellziggy.livejournal.com]

Before September 4th! It's only $5 to buy crackers to feed the giraffes. Definitely worth it!

[hellziggy.livejournal.com]

Thanks! *grin*
I definitely enjoy it more with the digital SLR. With my old digital P&S I liked taking pictures but I really missed the control & extra lenses & such I'd had with my film SLR.
Having to take a picture every day has also led me to getting some shots I never would have looked for before. Now to find a way to make money with it...