Newbie looking for feedback: Lizard

CoryUTCoryUT Registered Users Posts: 367 Major grins
edited August 10, 2009 in Wildlife
Hey everyone. New member here and I just got a DSLR of my own to shoot with. I've been looking around the forum and there is some serious talent here! I love it.

Here's a shot I took yesterday that I really like, and I am trying to get the most out of it. Any feedback on the shot (whether it's some processing to do now or something to correct in the future when I set such shots up) would be appreciated. I've tried things like bringing out the scales on the lizard, but can't figure out what I want to do...if anything.

615407587_ESRne-L.jpg

I look forward to spending hours upon hours on this forum.
Daily Shot
My Photographic Adventures

Nikon D7000 | 10-20 | 50 | 55-200

Comments

  • James HJames H Registered Users Posts: 92 Big grins
    edited August 10, 2009
    Hi Cory, welcome to the forum. wave.gif I'm new to post here also but I've been around on SmugMug for about a year now. Congrats on getting the DSLR! I hope you enjoy it and, from the looks of it, I think you're well on your way to making great use of it.

    I can completely understand your uncertainty with this shot. Personally I think you have a little too much real estate here, and a few things in the composition compete for focus with the main subject, your lizard. I've taken the liberty of making a few changes and have added a comparison view below for you to consider. The left is your original image, cropped to eliminate the distractions on that side and to tighten the composition a little. I chose a square crop just because that's all the image I had to work with on the right. If there was more interesting rock and distant hills on that side, then I think I would have kept a landscape comp and panned right.

    615814128_MAMAx-O.jpg

    After the crop, the two biggest changes I made were the color balance and the exposure. I warmed up the image since I assumed this was shot in sunlight by looking at the shadows under the lizard. I also increased the exposure in the mid-tones to bring the brightness of the lizard up to where it looked best. That made many of the rocks and leaves too bright, so I quickly burned those in so they wouldn't out shine the star attraction. The last thing I did was add a little vibrancy, clarity, and sharpening; just a little to the whole image, then a little more to just the lizard to try and make him pop a little from the bg. All edits were made in Lightroom, so if you have that and want to see the steps just let me know. I can send you a copy of the file with the xmp info and you can walk through the history, or at least I think you can?? headscratch.gif

    As for things to consider in the future, the biggest challenge is probably learning to visualize what your backgrounds are going to look like in the final image, and learning how to utilize certain elements of the bg to your advantage in the composition while eliminating those that could be distracting. With this scene in particular, I probably would have tried to shoot from a slightly lower vantage point, and used a longer focal length lens. I like the way the lizard is laying in relation to the distant hill, and I think zeroing in on that composition would have produced some interesting results, particularly if you could have isolated him from the edge of rocks and dirt directly behind him. Not always easy to do with well camouflaged creatures. But then that's all part of the fun in shooting wild things.

    Welcome once again, and I look forward to bumping into you around the forums.
    --James

    Homepage - James Hill Photography

  • lynnmalynnma Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 5,208 Major grins
    edited August 10, 2009
    Hi Cory! Welcome! congratulations on the SLR! my advice to you is the same advice I get... shoot shoot shoot and shoot some more. clap.gif
    website
  • CoryUTCoryUT Registered Users Posts: 367 Major grins
    edited August 10, 2009
    James H wrote:
    Hi Cory, welcome to the forum. wave.gif I'm new to post here also but I've been around on SmugMug for about a year now. Congrats on getting the DSLR! I hope you enjoy it and, from the looks of it, I think you're well on your way to making great use of it.

    Thanks James, and great feedback! I appreciate it.
    lynnma wrote:
    Hi Cory! Welcome! congratulations on the SLR! my advice to you is the same advice I get... shoot shoot shoot and shoot some more.

    Thanks, I plan on doing just that :)
    Daily Shot
    My Photographic Adventures

    Nikon D7000 | 10-20 | 50 | 55-200
  • PeterD-2009PeterD-2009 Registered Users Posts: 618 Major grins
    edited August 10, 2009
    Hi Cory,

    I see you have been given a lot of good sound advice. May I add another thing. When shooting wildlife, try to get to know your subjects. Study their behaviour and you will start to predict events before they happen. This way you will be able to capture those shots that others only get by chance.

    The biggest boon to wildlife study has been the digital camera. It makes a darn good tool.

    By the way, I should have said - welcome to the forum and I look forward to seeing how you get on.

    Good shooting
    Cheers

    Peter

    http://www.imageinuk.com
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