Lesotho

Hi I take some photos just for fun. I have been told that I have an eye for

it but I am not sure, I would like to get myself a descent SLR but am not

sure if putting so much money into it will be worth my while. I have

edited this photo with lightroom and CS5 however I will post the original

if necessary. I am wondering about if I did the saturation correctly and

how to make the mountains more vibrant without influencing the

forground. I will be posting some of my other favorite pictures for

critique so please be as honest and critical as possible!! Thanks so

much!!

Elliot, I would agree from the three photographs that you have posted that you have an interesting eye for photography—much more valuable than owning a DSLR. This photograph has great balance with the building and tree on the left almost mimicking the shape of the sheep. I love the way the sheep is made even more important by the use of the brightly flowering trees in the background and the building is so dark that the viewer has to examine the photograph carefully to tell that it is a building. Even the two stones at the feet of the sheep add interest and balance to the image. I would of course like to see some detail in the sky but sometimes there just isn’t any. However, I would suggest that since the sky is not adding any interest to the photograph that as much of it as possible should be removed. I would personally crop down until just a small space remains between the top of the highest branch on the left and the top of the frame As far as intensifying the distant hill I have two thoughts. One having the hill lighter is used in photography to suggest depth—something that is important when you are trying to capture a three dimensional world in a two dimensional medium. It is called aerial perspective. Things in a distance are naturally lighter and less contrasty than things up close so maybe it is not necessary to greatly intensify the hill depending upon how light it is in the original. Leaving it light might also give it more separation from the sheep. However, if you do wish for the hill to be this dark, I am in agreement that the extra saturated colors in the foreground appear false. What I would suggest is after you have intensified the hill to your satisfaction that you use a masking layer, mask out and desaturated the foreground, especially the greens.

Elliot,  

  As a beginner you have a good eye for composition.  This is  interesting enough that I wish you had told us a little more about the location.  

  Since you are a beginner, I am not sure how much you know about photography, so let me make one suggestion that might help you along.  It is possible to take this picture so that the animal is sharp but the distant mountain is kind of soft focus.  The method is called depth-of-field control and involves using different f/stops. If this is a new concept to you, try looking it up on the web or in a photography instruction book.  Let me imagine that you took this at 1/100th of a second at f/16.  By switching to 1/400th of a second at f/8 you would get the same level of brightness, but by focusing on the nearby subject the background would get a softer (less sharp focused) mountain behind.  By trying several different exposure settings you will get quite different results.  When you decide that one is best, you will carry a mental key to what you want to do with similar subjects in the future.

Regards,

Jerry

get the DSLR,you will do good with it ,

this is very good and well managed image.

I eventually decided to get myself the Canon 550D. WOW I should have done this a long time ago! Thanks guys for your critiques and encouragement! I will add some photos from my new best friend ;)