Alligator with an attitude...

[Joseph Przybyla]

I captured this image at Black Point Wildlife Drive, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge in Florida.

Nikon D7000, 450mm, 1/500, f/8, ISO 250

[Rachel Hollander]

Hi Joe - I'm sorry but this isn't really working for me. The light looks like it was very harsh and if your EXIF data is correct, it was shot at 12:30 pm which would explain the very harsh light. Midday light is always tough and why most try to avoid it. It's not always possible at a given location and I don't know about Merritt Island. Looks like the midday heat also created some heat haze. There's a blue cast coming through on the alligator. While the low shooting angle is good, the plant on the rhs is a major distraction. If you could have moved left a bit but still captured the same posture it might have improved the comp. Is this a large crop? Sorry that this critique is a bit harsh but we value honest critiques here and it is the best way to learn and grow as a photographer.

A question based on the EXIF data reported in PS - I'm curious about your listing 450mm, the EXIF data indicates you were using a 70-300mm lens and shot this at 300mm. Did you also use a tc to get to the 450mm? The data also indicates -.67 EC. It helps us to help you the more information you give about your equipment, your settings and the shooting conditions as well as any significant pp.

Finally you will get more comments and critiques, if you actively participate in the forum. We recommend posting comments on at least 3-5 other images in the Wildlife Forum each time you post a Wildlife image. It helps foster an interactive community and let's us all know and learn from each other. Your comments don't have to be technical in nature. Just tell us what you like or don't like about an image.

TFS,
Rachel

[Joseph Przybyla]

Hi Rachel, no need to apologize, that is what the forums are about. It was noontime and very harsh light but I gave him a go anyways trying to knock down the harsh highlights reflecting off the skin. Regarding your question, the lens was the 70-300mm, the camera the Nikon D7000 which has a crop factor of 1.5, 300mm then is 450mm full frame equivalent. The minus 2/3 EV was set to keep the highlights on it's skin from burning out, but looking at it now it was probably impossible. I was there for birds and he appeared out of the vegetation so I grabbed a quick shot. You asked about the crop, what you see is about 75% of the original.

I do actively participate but rarely is there wildlife other than birds to photograph in Florida, most of my posts and comments are in the Avian Forum.

[Morkel Erasmus]

Hey Joseph. I'm not going to rehash everything Rachel pointed out - I agree with all her points. Time of day (light/heat) and busy surroundings hurt your image quality here.
Thanks for posting, though, and keep posting and critiquing - the more you participate, the more you'll grow!