Outing with dad and Mitchell

[Delaney]

My dad had been gone almost the whole week and when he got back on Sunday the first thing out of mitchells mouth was "dad can we go picture taking". So I tagged along hoping to get a good shot or two. This is my first picture I cansay that I did all on my own-took the picture,post processed it and then here I am posting it! Any comments on how to make my pictures better I am all ears! It wasn't bad for weather I didn't chicken out of the cold so happy!!
This is a grossbeak first time seeing one so it was cool!!!
http://www.pbase.com/keithrankin/image/73431716/original.jpg


P.S-Kevin here is a picture as you wanted to see more :D !!!

[Mao]

This is such a beautiful picture Delaney. Sheesh, you take sharper pictures than me. WTG. Psst. I think your Dad overheard me about sneaking the 600mm. so, he's asked me to be generous too. Hmmm? Can I take that comment about "sneaking" back?:biggrin: :biggrin:

[Ann]

Very nice Delaney! The female pink grossbeaks have very pretty colour. I like your background with the spruce trees.

[Kevin]

I'm glad to see you out shooting again and posting more pics! This one is very nice. You've done a great job. The shot is sharp and appears to be processed very well.

I'll give you 2 pieces of advice. Sometimes it isn't always possible when shooting birds but I always try to remember it when I do have the time.

1. Always look for distractions in your shot that will compete with your main subject. Bright spots, busy backgrounds, sticks going through body parts, etc. This requires you to use your eyes, look through the viewfinder and change your position if needed. It's best to try to do this "in camera" rather than relying on Photoshop. It takes some time but at your early stage in photography, I think it would be great to learn that discipline early on.

2. Try to keep your subject out of dead center. You may have heard of some of the "rules of composition". Ask your dad if you haven't. Rules like "the Rule of Thirds" and "the Golden Mean". They explain subject placement in your shot that makes your photograph more appealing to the viewer (apparently they've done scientific studies to determine this. ;)) I usually try to place my subject in the viewfinder using these rules but sometimes have to crop the shot for composition purposes. Even when I'm successful at "proper placement" in camera, I still fine tune the composition by cropping. There are times when you want the subject dead center, but generally not.

It's good to learn the rules but not get too bogged down with them. Once you learn the rules, you'll understand better how to break them for your own personal artistic expression.

[MGlennn]

Nice one Delaney ...looks awfully cold though :) :) :)

[Jim]

Great capture, I wish it were mine :)
thanks for sharing
Jim

[Harv]

Delaney, it's really difficult for me to believe this is the first shot you took and processed all on your own. You did a wonderful job. It's as good a photograph as I have seen from many photographers with years of experience under their belt.

Well done, young lady. Keep up the great work.

[Delaney]

Thank you everyone for the kind words and addvice. I would love to be as good as you but like I say if you want to get good at something you got to practice practice and more practice!!!Thank you all again!:biggrin:

[Mitchell]

awesome job Delaney, you put allot of effort into that one :cheer:

[Delaney]

awesome job Delaney, you put allot of effort into that one :cheer:
Thanks it took awhile to figure how to do good but I did.
P.S-I wasn't getting mushy on you I was complementing you
rolleyes; :p ;) :biggrin:

[Dave Stiles]

Delaney,

Wow, nice image. It's better than 80% of what I see that comes through my college digital lab, and it's your first 'solo' shot? Most excellent.

Nice, crisp focus and good composition. I look forward to seeing more of your work here in the future.

[Jeff JTPhoto]

Very Nice Delaney .. Keep up the great work...

[gluwater]

Oops, I guess I missed this thread before. Those little birds are hard to get and you did very well with this one. The perch is nice and the pose from the grossbeak is also very good. Kevin gave you some very good advice that a lot of us should read and re-read.

[Bobby]

Delaney, this is a beautiful example of a gorgeous bird. You should be proud to post this. Won't be long before you become an accomplished photographer.

Kevin has given you some really good tips and I'm sure your Dad will give you all the guidance he can.

[Lisa]

Delaney:

This is a beautiful shot you took here. Looks like it could sit on the front of a greeting card. I think you did a terrific job doing this all on your own. I agree that with Kevin's advice and your Dad helping you out, things will only get easier for you.

[Peter]

Wow. What a talented family.Terrific shot Delaney. My advice to you is to get out more often , it will make you a better photograher. :)

[Delaney]

Thank you very much everyone again! It means so much to me and to here feed back! Thank you all again:biggrin: :)