King of the Swamp

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1

King of the Swamp
King of the Swamp3000×2000 2.06 MB

I visited Castaway Island Preserve this morning for the first time since moving to the area 4 years ago. I had heard there would be a wide variety of wildlife there. I saw a few very small birds, some distant birds of prey I could not identify, and this awesome feline. He meowed at me a bit while circling. He appeared to be telling me “It’s my swamp - back off!” I took a couple pics and left him to hunt.

Specific Feedback Requested

I’d like feedback on the composition, camera settings, details, and processing.

I had the camera set on A priority f/8 as I was mostly looking to get birds. I was afraid a wider aperture would make it hard to get a good focus. Should I have opened it more to get a lower ISO?

Technical Details

Is this a composite: No
Nikon D500 with Nikkor 300 mm PF lens.
f/8, 1/500 SS
ISO 2000
Some adjustments in exposure and tone in LR with a small vignette.
No cropping

@francissr15143
2 Likes
2

What a cute cat! I love the expression and how he’s talking to you very emphatically! Nicely composed! Great capture, Scott!

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You caught an awesome expression on this cat, Scott. I don’t think I would have opened up any more as your depth of field is just about perfect to emphasize the face and I don’t see a significant problem with the noise level. I might be tempted to crop this from both sides to get more of a portrait effect. You might also consider bringing down the exposure of the bright spot on the neck just a bit.

4

Thanks very much Vanessa and Dennis for reviewing my photo and giving me feedback. It is helpful

5

I like this as presented, but also agree with Dennis’s comments, but if you go the crop route, crop even more (right, left and bottom to just short of his whiskers).