dss # 121

alibi13

My other option for dss #121. Please let me know what you think :ear

kixsand

I'm afraid I'm not getting the connection to the theme - "centered"?

alibi13

I figured I would try and get my crop centered on both cheetahs instead of just the one.

tinamarie52

It doesn't seem to fit the theme for me.

billseye

Hi Alibi 13,

My 2 cents... The current challenge asks us to break one of the stereotypical rules of composition - that it's best to avoid putting a subject in the center of the frame.. While this image technically centers its subjects (when seen as one pair), it misses the mark on being a rule-breaking centered shot.

The composition of your shot actually creates a strong visual movement along lower left to upper right diagonal, by virtue of the line created by the two sets of eyes. It could be a very strong, and traditionally appropriate composition, but as kixsand and and tinamarie52 point out, it doesn't draw attention to the center of the frame, and doesn't work for this theme.

On another level, the image has some other weaknesses related to the cheetahs' eyes being in shadow. Typically, the eyes in an animal's (or human's) portraits are central points of attention. Having both the cats eyes in shadow, weakens the impact.

tinamarie52

billseye is right on the money. His critique was thoughtful and very accurate. He reminds us that when someone asks for a critique, we should take more time (if we have it) to offer helpful suggestions rather than the terse reply I sent. This site is a very open learning place. Thanks for the reminder billseye.

I'll look forward to seeing your next attempt at DSS 121.

Chris

alibi13

Thanks guys for the input... I'm still relatively new to photography, so any comments, criticism, pointers would be awesome! I ended up entering a different picture and have posted it for dss 121. Take a look :-)

Phill / alibi13

Mike Bishop

One thing that I would like to point out in this image is the focus. As a new photographer myself, this is something I still find myself needing to improve. Since both cats share the spotlight of being the subject here, they both need to be in full focus.

puzzledpaul

Mike Bishop wrote: »

One thing that I would like to point out in this image is the focus. As a new photographer myself, this is something I still find myself needing to improve. Since both cats share the spotlight of being the subject here, they both need to be in full focus.

I don't know the circumstances of the situation, or the gear used for the shot - except to say that it's unlikely to have been a wide angle on the cam

As such, dof distances can be real consideration - if (as I suspect) the rhs cat's head was some distance behind the lhs one.

If the case, photographer has to decide where to place AF point, aperture etc for effect required. Stopping way down to get both in focus (assuming possible) would also have changed the bg considerably too.

Personally, I think it's possible to have a decent shot where big chunks of the main subject are oof - but I also accept /acknowledge that we all have our own thoughts on this, too

pp

alibi13

I'm still in the process of learing my camera. It's a sony slt a55 and I like it a lot, but it is my first dslr. I'm still messing around with my fstop and focus points. Again any input and help with camera adjustments is awesome.

Phill/ alibi13