Do You Get Cable TV With Those Ears?

[Rachel Hollander]

Just a funny face by a giraffe. Taken in the Timbavati Game Reserve, South Africa in August 2012.

Canon 7D
100-400 @ 340mm
1/4000
f5.6 (should have gone with a bit more dof in hindsight)
ISO 400
HH from safari vehicle, cropped to vertical from horizontal, levels, curves, selective dodging, burning and color adjustments, sharpened in CS5/6.

C&C welcome and appreciated. Thanks,

Rachel

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Rachel, would look to cropping a bit off the top, to loose that single branch coming in from the top.

I would also suggest opening up a bit more of the shadow areas and apply some selective sharpening. Looking at the SS I agree, you could have afforded more DOF which may in turn, have help the mouth. I will leave others to comment on colour. :S3:

TFS
Steve

[Anette Mossbacher]

Hi Rachel

:t3 for the image. Had a laugh

The branch on top does not disturb me so much, like Steve. I might would crop it slightly from top down and the rest of the branch, sticking out, might clone or content aware scale it away. But that is just me and than the branch needs to disturb me. Well, with my paper sheet crop on the screen, it would :S3:
Color wise, the sky looks a bit purple/magenta! Would match better with the Giraffe if it would be more bluish, I think !!!
But that is the only thing I could find with color Steve mentioned. Maybe the mane/hair on the neck in the sun could need a bit reducing red. Again that's just what I think and see.

Ciao
Anette

[Andreas Liedmann]

Hi Rachel,
like the LOOK DOWN of the giraffe and the chewing jaw.
Nice tones and colors, like the sky color of your image.
For me DOF is fine, no need for that high SS, i think.
Agree with Steve , about composition, but i would just only lighten those beautiful big eyes, to bring more life into them.

TFS Andreas

[Morkel Erasmus]

Hey Rachel
I like the expression - they do provide some comic ones!
I was bugged by the DOF immediately (mouth/nose look softer than eyes)...as you said...:w3
I agree with Steve's suggestions. Colour looks nice with the warm tones of the giraffe (was this taken in the morning or afternoon?).

[Rachel Hollander]

Thanks everybody for the comments and suggestions. Morkel - this was on a morning game drive.

Thanks again,
Rachel