The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
A cute little painted turtle hung out next to my kayak in the lily pads. This is barely cropped. Even as I started to paddle away it didn’t move. Pretty chill reptile. It’s probably 4 inches long IRL - pretty tiny, especially compared to the snapping turtle I nearly ran over while paddling into this inlet. Its shell was about the size of a garbage can lid and the back feet (about all I saw) were easily as big as my hand.
But these little cuties are way less afraid and so I got to spend a lot of time with this one and a few others basking in the lily pads along with dragonflies and a downy woodpecker hammering on a tree not far away.
Specific Feedback
Processing ideas welcome.
Technical Details
Handheld in the kayak on a very calm backwater
Lr for probably all the processing which would be to bump the sharpness and kick up some contrast. Nothing too drastic.
Can’t imagine a turtle this small, Kris! I like how the lily pad leaves create wonderful leading lines right to this little guy. Colors are great. Nicely seen.
Amazing you can keep so steady in your canoe! I wasn’t sure at first about the aperture, maybe a bit more closed I thought, but on second thoughts the eye is all that needs to be in focus here, and as everything else is oof it’s an immediate eyeball-to-eyeball shot!
Thanks @linda_mellor & @Mike_Friel - glad you like these colorful little guys. Their eyes are pretty great. Snapping turtle eyes are very different (I’ll see what I can find for shots).
Steadiness in the kayak is key, but the Dual IBIS in the G9 is good enough to compensate for a little movement, which there nearly always is unless I actually beach the boat. This was shot in a very slow little backwater where a creek feeds into the river I was on. It’s at a sharp bend so the water is moving even slower. Getting into dense plants helps and I do that whenever possible.
