First Post ...Nervous / Excited

[Dave Woeller]

This is my first post, so I thought I would choose a safe (maybe) file. This is a zoo shot, and I know the pose has been captured many times before, but it was there for the taking. So please have at it so that I can begin the improvement process. I am truly impressed with what I have seen here so far.

Canon 40D
100-400 5.6 is L
AV
1/400 SEC hand held
- 2/3 stop compensation
F/16
ISO 200
Shot raw and converted with Bibble Pro

Thanks and regards

[Gus Cobos]

Hi Dave,
A great big welcome to the BPN family...:) I like your composition, the head angle is good with just a slight peek of the eye. I took the liberty of working on your image, I hope you like it. I boosted the contrast just a tad, gave you a little saturation in the reds, sharpened the eye and cloned out the green oof on the top, replacing it with a solid dark background. This way your eyes focus soly on the flamingo and not the green. What do you think...

Gus Cobos...:cool:

[Harold Davis]

big welcome to BPN, dave!!!!! awesome first post!! love the work gus did on it. would also suggest cropping about half of that black area out at the top.

nice job on that eye gus!

keep em coming, dave!! and welcome again!

[Gus Hallgren]

Hi Dave: Great first post, lovely colours and composition. Gus repost much improved. Looking forward to your next post. . . . Uncle Gus

[Lance Peters]

Hi Dave - welcome - nice first post - do like Gus repost a little better.

Keep them coming :)

[Dave Phillips]

Hi Dave, welcome from another Dave.....nice first post.

Nice thing about critiques, is that you can absorb it all and use what you think is best for you.

[Stephen Cunliffe]

Welcome Dave, a rather impressive first post! Looking forward to seeing more.....
Stephen

[Nicki Gwynn Jones]

Hi Dave,
Big welcome fromthe UK! Lovely first post - big congrats - I like the black BG on Gus's repost.
Regards,
Nicki

[Nonda Surratt]

Welcome Dave! Super first post! Love the image. Also like the black BG in Gus's post

[Dave Woeller]

Wow! I've been involved with several other photo sites and have never received help like this. It's amazing how the subtle adjustments mentioned above can have such a strong impact on the final presentation. I really appreciate new eyes offering alternatives that I just did not see. I'll now revisit the file and see what I come up with. It will definately be improved. Thanks to all and regards. :)

[Oscar Zangroniz]

Another big welcome Dave. A heck of a first post. Excellent re post by Gus.
Keep them comming.
Congrats,

[Alfred Forns]

Big Welcome Dave and great first post !!!! ............ Excellent responses guys !!!

Can add one suggestion In images with the eye playing such a prominent role I would like seeing along one of the intersecting thirds Makes for a stringer image !!! Without seeing left/right would be tough to say which way to move it !!! Excellent !!!

[Katie Rupp]

Big Welcome, Dave! and a very nice image for your introduction. The repost and improvement tips are helpful and really make your image pop.

[Julie Kenward]

Welcome Dave! What a lovely first post! It is the little things that can make a huge difference (as Gus so aptly demonstrated.) I challenge you to continue to take another look at your images and see them with "fresh" eyes every couple of days or so and see if you don't start noticing more and more of "the small stuff." You did a bang up job on the composition of this one and you get a gold star for the head angle!!!

[Dave Woeller]

Thank you Julie and everyone else. I have begun to re-work this image with suggestions noted above. I have already begun to see opportunities in a lot of my images, just from reading critiques of others pictures on this site. The learning opportunity is what I have been searching for, and I believe I have found it here.