The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
I found several watersnakes in a pool in the spillway of our neighborhood lake. They sit in the pool to catch minnows that are washed downstream. They are looking upstream in each of these photos hoping to spot a fish. There is a small waterfall that dumps into the pool. You can partially see this waterfall in the first and fourth images.
Specific Feedback
I tried to include complimentary elements of the environment to the extent possible while eliminating distracting elements. Any thoughts on that?
Any other comments welcome.
Technical Details
Canon R7, 400mm f4 DO IS II, 1.4x extender III
ISO 2500, f6.3, 1/1000s, hand held
Oh those flickery tongues - nice that you got a few with them showing. I have never done that ever in all my time photographing snakes. The additional moving water around them shows their preferred environment really well. I associate these guys with still water, so these photos are really special. The colors are so vivid when they’re wet, too, and I like that aspect as well. The second down has such a great perspective and the two remind me of bears competing for salmon at a run. I’d warm that one up a bit and remove the cyan aspect, but other than that, wow, great work!
You managed to capture the snakes well, but moving water provides different challenges.
Since it is your neighborhood lake, I suggest next time you may experiment with slow shutter speed, may be it can help.
I think the second shot is strongest. The undulating curved body is great, and it’s nice seeing more of the bold color in the body.
I’m also intrigued by the last frame. The inclusion of the waterfall can be useful to help tell a story, but I would like to see more of it in that case. Just a sliver as shown is perhaps working more as a visual distraction without being obvious enough to be a strong story-telling element.
@Max_Waugh
Hi Max, thanks for the comment. I went back to a couple of the images and included as much of the waterfall as I had in each. Posted below. Any improvement or still just not enough?
Allen, I think you made an unexpected and surprisingly nice choice on the two-snake shot. I was expecting more water showing on the left side, but bringing it back along the bottom works too, and creates a nice little border that encloses your subjects. I think it works better than the first version.
I also like the soft texture of the water in the second image. In general, it’s a bit of a busier background, but the smooth water does well not to detract from the finer details of the snake.
