Wild Life

[jcharris]

I would like to share some photo's i have shot in the Kruger National Park .
Velvet Monkey
Blou Wilde Beest
Elephant
Giraffe
All shots were taken from inside our vehicle , one is not allowed to exit the car .
The elephant was a scary one to take for he was only about 5 meters from our car and was getting restless with all the cars so close to him !
Any comments are welcome .

Regards

[Photo-John]

Why hasn't anyone else posted a response to these photos??!! Everyone needs and deserves to get a response for their Photo Critique posts.

I like these photos ok. It's neat to see the animals. I like the elephant one the best. But as far as photos go, these feel very much like snapshots. The crops all seem too tight and it doesn't look like much thought or effort went into the overall setup and composition. I understand that you couldn't leave your vehicle, but you can still look at the background, change your depth-of-field, frame carefully, and set up a good composition. The difference between a snapshot and a "photograph" is all in the conception. You need to look and really see the scene you're photographing. You want to compose so that the viewer sees and understands the relationship between the subject and its environment. It's not enough to just focus on the animal, set the exposure, and push the button. You need to be an active participant in the photograph, crafting the image.

I hope that's useful to you. And I also hope it isn't discouraging or too harsh. My standards are high and I like to challenge other photographers to be the best they can be. Please keep posting. And if people don't post critiques, harass them a little. There's no good reason why your photos don't deserve some attention. Even if they aren't National Geographic stuff, you should feel good about them. I enjoyed looking at them.

[mtbbrian]

The elephant one seems to your best image.
The tight crop, leaves a good impact, as if the elephant is coming right at you!
I hope to see more of your photography
Welcome!
Brian

[Wings]

I can add comments, but they would be exactly the same as Brian's. The elephant is also my favorite for the same reasons. Well done and thanks for sharing.

[ThoughtfulPirate]

I like the Giraffe on the best. I like the way it is positioned sideways to you, but is looking at you.

[Wings]

Personally I think it's distracting if you have several images close to each other in one post, it distracts the eyes. Unless there is no technical solution for this, it should be taken in account in my opinion.

[natatbeach]

As it's been stated before ---they are all cropped tight --too tight.

I wondered if you might be able to post the full uncropped version to see if maybe a different crop could help add a little more oomph to these. I agree that the elephant has the best look and feel to it. I think it's quite good but almost overcropped...the giraffe one has potential but it's so crooked it really detracts from being able to appreciate much bu the tilt...I think you have a good eye...

This is an awesome place to take and give advice because you learn from the experience whether you are the one critiquing or being critiqued.

Post some more

[jcharris]

I send this one of the Giraffe uncropped . You are very much correct , i think i have gone a bit overboard with the cropping.
Could you give me your opinion on this one ?

Thank you for your comments , this is a very good learning experience for me !
Regards
james

As it's been stated before ---they are all cropped tight --too tight.

I wondered if you might be able to post the full uncropped version to see if maybe a different crop could help add a little more oomph to these. I agree that the elephant has the best look and feel to it. I think it's quite good but almost overcropped...the giraffe one has potential but it's so crooked it really detracts from being able to appreciate much bu the tilt...I think you have a good eye...

This is an awesome place to take and give advice because you learn from the experience whether you are the one critiquing or being critiqued.

Post some more

[jcharris]

Dear Photo-John

I don't see your comments as discouraging or too harsh .
This is the kind of comments i am actually looking for . This is a excellent site for beginners like me to learn from people with lots of experience !
Thanks a lot for your reply and i will learn from the mistakes i made !
I will work on not to " overcrop " the images .
I agree some of the photos do look like snapshots and not photographs !

Regards
james

Why hasn't anyone else posted a response to these photos??!! Everyone needs and deserves to get a response for their Photo Critique posts.

I like these photos ok. It's neat to see the animals. I like the elephant one the best. But as far as photos go, these feel very much like snapshots. The crops all seem too tight and it doesn't look like much thought or effort went into the overall setup and composition. I understand that you couldn't leave your vehicle, but you can still look at the background, change your depth-of-field, frame carefully, and set up a good composition. The difference between a snapshot and a "photograph" is all in the conception. You need to look and really see the scene you're photographing. You want to compose so that the viewer sees and understands the relationship between the subject and its environment. It's not enough to just focus on the animal, set the exposure, and push the button. You need to be an active participant in the photograph, crafting the image.

I hope that's useful to you. And I also hope it isn't discouraging or too harsh. My standards are high and I like to challenge other photographers to be the best they can be. Please keep posting. And if people don't post critiques, harass them a little. There's no good reason why your photos don't deserve some attention. Even if they aren't National Geographic stuff, you should feel good about them. I enjoyed looking at them.