California " wildlife" (pics included)

[Dbl]

Some "wildlife" from San Diego taken with a new lens purchased last week, Sigma 100-300/f4 EX APO IF. I finally stepped out of the "consumer" grade glass. All shots handheld at ISO 200 unless noted.

300mm f9.0, 1/400s with ISO 400

300mm f6.3, 1/500s

300mm f9.0, 1/320s

Pentax 18-55 lens 18mm f8.0, 1/200

And what would photos from California be without a surfing shot.

300mm f8.0, 1/400 with a 1.4 Teleconverter unfortunately handheld (next time bring the monopod).

[mcary]

Nice pics, I may have to post some I got out in Utah and Colorado this past week.

[fishing tech]

WOW!!!!! That sunset shot was awesome. My kids were just doing a puzzle the other day, those pictures would make some good puzzles. Nice job, thanks for sharing.

[Steve Foss]

VERY nice stuff, dbl. I especially like the group of shorebirds. That's a nice composition. The sunset is excellent as well. Thanks for sharing.

[The_Duckslayer]

Concur with Steve! All great pictures but #3 has to be my favorite! Great shot! Thanks for sharing! Take care and N Joy the Hunt././Jimbo

[Steve Foss]

I meant to say this before but got lost in all the stuff I was doing after being gone for a long weekend. No. 3 should be printed as large as possible, matted and framed. I've never captured a better shorebird image, and would be proud to put that on my wall.

In the "for what it's worth" category, No. 2 would be a great image with a bit of a tighter crop. Now, rememember, this is all and only IMO, but imagine the bird if you were a painter and you wanted to emphasize the grace of the bird while inspiring people with the background brush strokes. Too large a field of brush strokes means too little emphasis on the shorebird. Too tight a crop kills the brush strokes. In the end, that image, with an inspiring crop, could be a more romantic expression than the other group shot of shorebirds.

Here's one more hint. When cropping a photo, it's almost always a good idea to allow space in the direction the subject is facing while cropping out stuff behind the bird. As viewers, our eye always wants to move in the direction the bird is trending, and we are more attracted to an image that allows us to do that.

Space is one of the photographer's best friends.

But, as said before, that's only IMO. You decide.

[buzzsaw]

Quote:

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Here's one more hint. When cropping a photo, it's almost always a good idea to allow space in the direction the subject is facing while cropping out stuff behind the bird.

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Good point, you might also want to read up on the "rule of thirds" Just helpful points.

[Dbl]

Thanks Steve and buzz, just a thought on why the pictures are as they are. Buzz, being a former art major I am more than familiar with the "rule of thirds". That is mainly why I try at every opportunity to break it, something else I learned in my training. It is a good guide and much preferable to splitting in half, but when an opportunity arises to change that I always try. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. In the case of the sunset, I think it does, in the case of the lone bird a crop with "thirds" will probably work. I will do some experimenting and see what I can do.

The lone bird was not cropped closer because I found the patterns of the sand and water almost as interesting as the bird itself. The joys of digital photography, we can crop, not crop, recompose, change lighting all to suit our taste. I do appreciate the advice, I think its great to find out what others see in photographs.

[buzzsaw]

Yeah, it seems like no matter what any of us do, somebody can come along and say they like it differently. I just do what I like and will post a few pics later (next few days) looking for any constructive criticism anybody has to offer... the way I see things is that CC will only help me.... if it's coming from somebody I think knows what they are talking about. ie... Hobbydog, Catfish, Johnny, DBL, T.W.

P.S. I liked the shorebird picture as well, I think mainly because I don't see them grouped up like that around here.

[Steve Foss]

The crop/composition is one of things that most defines a photographer's style. I like things a certain way, and you'll see that in my composition. IMO, there are few rights or wrongs when it comes to composition, and any time I comment on those things, I just assume people know I'm only giving an opinion. And you know what they say about people who assume.

[jonny_redhorse]

that sunset photo is the greatest Dbl!.......coloration is fantastic!.......I've seen alot of sunset photos through the years but this one is really exceptional!....great images!....... jonny

[MarchelRipley1]

I plan on getting out to California for some photo opportunites this year, thanks for the inspiration.

[Tom Wilson]

Bill????

[Steve Foss]

Hi Bill, welcome to FM. As you might expect, your reputation precedes you. Your long expertise at this occupation is welcome here.

[Tom Wilson]

When I saw that today, I almost crapped my pants. Bill's work has been my motivation since the day I started. His work in DU and vast numbers of other magazines, was and still is my source of inspiration. I wouldn't even be doing this if it wasn't for him. Bill, I'm glad to see you here. Actually, we have met on several occassions, with the last being at Sand Lake NWR last March. I sure don't mean to embarass you, but I truly meant what I said. I have considered your work to be some of the finest in the field, and I try my best to emulate that. You might not realize it, but some of the advice you gave me is still running fluid in my mind, and I use it daily. Again, It's an honor to have you here.

Tom Wilson