Smart_Photography_-_December_2015_

Skink

This photo has been sent to us by

Sunder Sam through email. Since

there was no mention of what the

picture is for, I assume Sunder

wanted me to critique the picture.

The subject is interesting. Since the

subject was in low light, Sunder has

done well in selecting a high ISO,

which also allowed him a reasonably

fast shutter speed to avoid camera

movement during exposure.

Though opinions may differ, I

personally do not like any fuzzy

areas in front of the main subject;

I find that disturbing. I also notice

what appears to be a part of a tail,

adjacent to the skink. I find that too,

disturbing. It is possible that there

could have been another skink above,

whose tail we see in the original

Camera: Canon EOS 600D;

Lens: 55-250mm

Aperture: F/6.3;

Shutter speed: 1/320sec; ISO: 2000

Edited

Note: If I Were You is meant to encourage and guide readers, and help them

improve their photography. Please ensure that the required camera/exposure

details are sent to us (or are available in the EXIF data). We shall not accept images

for this section if the required data is not available. Readers are requested to send

their images at 300ppi for 8 x 10-inch size. If they are too small, working on them is

difficult, and hence they may be rejected.

picture. I also notice some highlights

in the dark area behind the critter,

which somewhat draws my attention

away from the main subject.

So, what would I have done if I were

you? I think I would have tried using

a narrower aperture which could

have reduced some fuzziness in

the foreground, though that would

have reduced the shutter speed and

increased the chances for camera

movement during the exposure.

Also, I would have used a shorter

focal length on the zoom lens, may be

around 180mm instead of 250mm.

Though that would have resulted in a

smaller image on the camera sensor,

the depth of field would have been

greater, possibly reducing the amount

of blur in the foreground.

In the edited image, I have cropped

the image. The subject now stands out

better. I also toned down the out of focus

areas and cloned out the disturbing tail.

A naturalist may not like the idea of

getting rid of the tail, but I am looking at

it from a different angle! |SP

Original

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Smart PhotographyDecember 2015

IF I WERE YOU

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