The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
I have time for a quick post in between trips this week. In July I headed to Brazil for a three-week adventure, which included a journey deep into the Amazon. We spent a week based on the “River of Doubt” (made famous by Teddy Roosevelt’s expedition there in the early 20th century). Being the only outsiders—that is, non-indigenous people—within a few hundred square miles was pretty incredible. This was truly remote, pristine wilderness, and it was a real privilege spending time there.
That didn’t mean wildlife was always abundant or readily available to photograph. We had to work for our sightings, and in this case, stumbled upon a photo op quite by surprise. On our final afternoon on the river, we pulled up to a small sandstone peninsula so we could take a group photo… and stumbled across a spectacled caiman nursery! Several small caimans were spread across the spit in different pools. A couple of adults were also nearby, so I ran back and grabbed my wider lens to photograph one of them with the river and forest beyond.
Specific Feedback
fdfd
Technical Details
Canon R3
Canon 24-70mm 2.8
ISO 800
1/400th
f/14
(Posted larger since the subject is small in the frame)
Critique Template
Use of the template is optional, but it can help spark ideas.
The trip sounds like it was quite an amazing experience Max. What I really like about this photo is the caiman in the clear pool and the somewhat arcing shape in the rocks. I felt the sky did not add interest and was distracting to the subject. So I did a respectful borrow of your photo to try a 2:1 crop to capture just the caimen and rocks. Hopefully it is helpful to you.
Another thought, the 24-70 doesn’t have much reach for wildlife photos. Maybe you have a longer lens available with you? I have been using the Tamron 18-300 for my Fuji XT5 and it is my go to lens for versatility. Good optical quality too. They make on for Canon also. KEH or MBP has checked and verified resale ones for sale at better prices than brand new usually.
Best wishes for a great time on the rest of your trip.
Beautiful landscape, which emphasizes that it is not a commonly frequented.
I feel that more horizontal frame may help the image and I may reduce the sharpness on rocks and water.
@James_Bartek, thanks for the feedback. I regularly carry lenses ranging from 24 - 600mm on my rainforest expeditions. In this particular instance I was going for a shot specifically with the wider lens, since I have plenty of tight portraits of these animals with longer lenses. The idea was to show it in its environment, specifically to depict the rainforest setting, which is why the forest iteself is an integral part of the composition in this case.
@JRajput: Jagdeep, thanks. I think you’re right about a wider comp having a more natural feel, but in this case the big tree in the upper right felt like a natural “end point” to the diagonal created by the caiman’s pose. I feared that more space to the right of the tree would lessen the impact of that tracking line.
