I would be glad for some opinions on this one. I like the direct stare of the doe with a bit of grass in her mouth, but I'm not sure about the OOF grasses in front of her. Do they add to the moment or do they detract?
Canon 7D, Canon 70-200 f2.8 L IS @ 195, f6.3, 1/100, exp. comp. +1/3, ISO 400
I like the framing affect of the grasses and the pine bough in the BG. Might have been better without the OOF grass right at the chest close to the mouth, but the head is not obstructed and that is good.
I suggest doing a selection on the eyes and lightening them (curves can be used).
From my perspective cropping this to a vertical with a 4x5 aspect ratio and correcting the color balance produces a winner. I have no problem with the grasses in front of the doe. Very nice!
While working on the changes suggested I reviewed my other photos in the same series and found one without so much grass in front of it. But my orginal choice was the only one with grass in her mouth and the pines framing in the BG. So I merged the two photos and ended up with this one, without so much grass plus the suggested changes. And no I have no more room on the bottom, only to the sides.
I much prefer the image in Pane 5. The first two were too contrasty for me and the grasses centered below the face are quite distracting to me.
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