Support Your Local Zoo!
by IWhispered

Comment by snaffles:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

Initial impression: very cute picture of an otter, but a very noisy picture too. I gave it a 6 in voting because basically a good shot and I could understand wanting to shoot at a high ISO to ensure a good capture of subject.

Technical: ISO 3200...yow, that's VERY high. ISO 800 should have been sufficient, especially for a subject that is basically very relaxed. Composition good, DOF a little shallow, lighting is ambient; again feel that a lower ISO would have resulted in a better shot. POF is dead on, but in zoos you are often limited as to how you can shoot.

Artistic: Would have been nice to get a face-on shot or even a 3/4 shot to add a little more dynamism. However, critters do not take direction well.

FWIW/Overall: I worked as an advertising copywriter for several years, and the copy here sounds quite dry, more like a corporate mission statement. You want to create a sense of excitement and adventure: Share the marvels of nature with your children! etc., etc.

Quite a pleasant shot of an appealing subject. Keep shooting!

Feel free to PM me with any questions,

Susan

My Favorite Enemy
by IWhispered

Comment by Citadel:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

This is a hard subject to photograph. If you expose the glass properly then your background doesn't have that nice white seamless look to it. I think the only way to overcome the problem is lighting the background and the subject. I'd be curious to see the lighting setup.

The icecream / frozen dessert it a bit out of focus as well. I think that the fluid at the bottom is also distracting but that might be debatable.

As for the challenge? In my opinion this was a shoe horn. Not as bad as some of the entries but it was a bit of a stretch and I think a lot of the voters might have agreed. I do understand the concept you were trying to convey so when I encountered this image during voting I didn't deduct for not meeting the challenge. (I generally only do that when the shot clearly doesn't meet the challenge).

Ele
by IWhispered

Comment by npasel:
Now this brings a smile to my face!

Ele
by IWhispered

Comment by SandyP:
:) A Queen in her splendor :) I love it!

Rocky Reflection
by IWhispered

Comment by cutout:
well 8

Rocky Reflection
by IWhispered

Comment by anaikid44:
Cool shot!

Ele
by IWhispered

Comment by RKT:
Comfy cozy bliss...such a lucky dog. the tones are nice and ass to the softness of the mood.

Support Your Local Zoo!
by IWhispered

Comment by boyd2000:
Nice shot of the otter, beaver or whatever it is. Waiting until you caught it looking at you may have been better. The background looks pretty noisy. If I read your EXIF right it's because you are shooting at ISO 3200. I would recommend bumping that WAY down and dropping from 1/800 shutter speed to compensate.

Rocky Reflection
by IWhispered

Comment by stasuerob:
Great reflection, is this on a lake?

Support Your Local Zoo!
by IWhispered

Comment by Blackbox:
For me, I'm seeing the main focus on the neck while I think it would look better with the face sharp too. Otherwise, it's 'otterly' perfect!