Classic Giraffe on the Maasai Mara Game Reserve

This is from the Maasai Mara game safari. I find these animals to be amazingly elegant and amusingly awkward all at the same time (see the photo in this same folder with the giraffe sticking his tongue out). This one seems to be posing for the perfect photo. I always welcome any of your thoughts. Please especially talk to me about post processing... Thank you!

Speaking of post processing, I originally attempted to use layers to isolate the giraffe from the background and then used the blur tool to try to create a shallow DOF. (Pictured in this attatchment.) But it looks totally fake. What could I have done differently? Should I even have worried at all about a blurred background?

Please read my comments on this image to see what I'm looking for in a

critique! Comments and ratings are always appreciated! :-)

Hi Lou Ann, What a regal looking fellow you have here. I can't get the processed shot to display so I can't tell how it came out. It looks like an issue of contrast but a shallow DOF can help to isolate him as you mentioned was your wish. If you manually blur, think in layers and work backwards. The grass beneath should be rather crisp but as you move deeper into the picture you can increase the softened look or blur to reduce the detail in the leaves and limbs. You can also subdue the colors as you notice the colors in the mountain background appears faded from its actual color. The trees around the giraffe's head can have their color lightend to allow the dark brown color on the giraffe to remain the same. It can be a challenge to work for a realistic look but with patience or scripts/templates, it can be achieved. If you choose to blur as you move through the depth of the photo, think subtle. A little near the subject and a bit more as you move into the background. This can be difficult to transition but you usually can identify natural transition lines in the photo. The easiest to see is usually the horizon, then tree lines as well as vegetation lines, (ie. where a field or pasture stops and the forest or meadow begins.) Good luck and nice photo. ~Sky

Thanks for those ideas, Sky!! That gives me some good thoughts on how to approach it!

Here is a quick sample, Lou Ann. I did this on the fly just to see how difficult this one would be. It will be a lot of work in CS3 but is doable. The example I've done almost has more of a "lensbaby" effect than a nice DOF. Areas such as the tree trunk by the neck will need to be dealt with more carefully and with a bit more precision and of course the foliage that extends into each deeper layer of the photo. It will one day be very easy with software and will probably be done in the camera itself and of course with a nice lens with lots of boca and wide aperture somewhat easy now. Hope I didn't mess up your nice picture, too badly. ~Sky

THANKS, Sky!! I love it!! I'm really enjoying learning more about PS. This is fun road!