painted turtles

[saycheez]

Went to the NC Zoo this weekend and temp was around 60 degrees.....where it has really not been above 40. Caught this "family" of turtles catching some rays...

I have just purchased my first dslr, so I am still learning, as I am a beginner. With that being said, all comments welcome!

Thanks,
Mel

[BlueRob]

Nice shot, my only suggestion would be that since this appears to be a scene where you have strong shadows and highlights a more "closed" or smaller metering would aid to keep the highlights from being blown and thus getting a better over all exposure in the scene.

[daq7]

Yeah the highlights are a tad blown. And there does not seem to be any turtle face that is in tack sharp focus. Don't get me wrong.. not sure could have gotten it if I wanted, but it would help.

[saycheez]

Thanks for the input. But, since I am new at this.....I am not quite sure what you mean by the highlights being "blown"......could you elaborate?

Thanks,
mel

[Shebang]

First of all - Welcome!!

A blown highlight happens when you are shooting in bright light and you lose the detail in the bright highlights of your photo. In your photo, the best example is that bright spot beneath the closest turtle as well as the bright spot on his back. If you have shadows or a bit of under-exposure, it is possible to save the detail in post processing. With blown highlights, there's not much you can do because the detail is just not there. BlueRob's suggestion about metering will cause your camera to expose more accurately and thus avoid these over-exposed sections in your photos.

I picked up a dslr for the first time less than two years ago, so there's still lots I have to learn, but try shooting at a faster shutter speed with a little higher f/number and I think it may help you get a sharper focus.

Looking forward to seeing more from you.

[saycheez]

Thanks for the warm welcome, Paula. I appreciate you taking the time to explain this to me. I have printed your response so I can have it on hand. I did find an article that on blown highlights that I haven't had a chance to read.

I thought about changing the photo to black and white......maybe that would help with the blown highlights, or no?

Thanks,
Mel

[Shebang]

Don't know - it might - but I'm thinking that it will still not have much detail. Post it as B&W and let's see and we will both learn.

[PhilF]

I like the compo.

[mikonyxx]

i agree with the above: adjust the sharpness and contrast. switch to black and white. it might have more impact.

just my $.02. i also have a similar shot that i did the same to. will try to find it and post.