Hi all,To start, let me introduce myself: My name is Nick and I have been invited by Emil.
I am an amateur photographer with a keen interest in wildlife photography. I shoot with a dslr since August 2008. I picked up some parts here and there from Emil's courses he gives for African Impact, and I have learned loads from him. With photoshop I am a complete rookie, but hope to learn more about that in the next couple of months.
I have included some photos for you as an introduction and to comment on. I took them in February this year in the Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Park, and one from some Crocodile hatchlings at the St. Lucia Crocodile centre. I am keen to learn from you professionals, so don't hold back and tell me honestly what you think and where/how I should improve. I have seen many great shots at this blog from all of you, but am a bit reluctant to comment, given my amateur status and that I have not much experience with anything else than wildlife photography. So please forgive me for being somewhat silent, while still hoping that you will comment on my shots.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.
Hoping to learn a lot from you guys,
Nick van de Wiel
4 comments:
Welcome Nick!
I think the highest praise that can be given from one photographer to another is that tinge of jealously you can feel when you see an image and wish it was one of yours! That is exactly how I feel about your croc hatchlings! Simply a great shot, excellent composition, good light and looks pin sharp. I also think the Golden Orb spider shot is really cool, excellent macro work there. Why the square crop? I think the frog shot has bags of potential, but he was not really looking the right way for you. This shot needs a little more depth of field, but then you were battling against a messy background. It looks oversharpened - is it a crop?
I'm not going to say anything about the bird shot or the zebra as I'm the first to acknowledge that I don't shoot anything that moves that much!
You have set a high standard with your first post! I look forward to seeing more of your images.
BTW- what equipment do you use?
Neil.
Wow thanks Neil, don't know what to say, but thanks. I am also very happy with the croc hatchling shot. The way that one eye stands out in an entanglement of bodies just struck me and I spend a good 20 minutes to get the sharpest shot. The spider was actually taken at 300 mm/f5.6. I liked the composition so square with the diagonal line from the web, but also had some distracting debris hanging in the web on the left. Yeah the frog was a pity, it was just to high up for me in a tree, so had to shoot it sideways and slightly from below. Yet I liked the colors of the blue sky through the green foliage of the tree. It is neither cropped nor sharpened, it just came out that way.
Interesting comment about movement photos. I like to shoot behavior, which usually involves movement. I find it difficult to get really sharp photos that way, but hope that with lots of practice I'll improve.
Equipment: I use a Nikon D80 with a 18-55 1:3.5-5.6 VR, 70-300 1:4.5-5.6 VR and last week purchased some second hand lenses (Nikkor E-series) 50mm 1:1.8, 100mm 1:2.8 and a 55mm macro lens 1:3.5. They are old lenses and I can't AF and meter with them, but I got all three for 700 rand so thought it was deal not to miss. Plus they force me to practice manual focussing and estimating exposure times etc. For the rest I use a manfrotto 190 xprob tripod with 322RC2 ballhead.
Thanks once again for your comment, and I hope I'll manage to keep my standard 'high' in my next post.
Kind Regards, Nick
Nick, these shots are really impressive. I've been fortunate enough to see them before and my earlier comments still stand. The Croc hatchling is brilliant! I'd highly recommend entering this into a competition like Getway Gallery, although i think you could aim higher with image of this calibre. I firmly agree with Neil when he says that one gets a tinge of jealousy seeing a shot like this.
I also really like the bird taking off (or is it landing). It's a really abstract and different way of approaching birds in flight. Because it's unusual it makes the viewer take a second look.
I also agree with Neil about the Frog. Frogs are almost over-photographed they are such popular wildlife subjects. The situation has potential, but there needs to be a little bit more before this shot becomes like your croc shot, special.
The Orb Spider is also well executed. The only shot that is not of the same quality is the zebra shot. It's a great moment, but needs to be tighter to really be dramatic. Possibly try a closer crop around the zebra heads to add that tension again. At the moment the framing seems loose, with the trunk in the background becoming a distraction.
A final note - although some would disagree with me I quite like the different aspect ratio crops that you have used here. To my mind too many photographers stick with the 2x3 ration offered by their sensors. The cropping in your images shows a creative approach post image capture to increase the aesthetic value of the image.
Nice submission...but boy have you set the standard high ;)
Greetings Nick,
At the expense of repeating the other's comments, you should have gathered by now that your posts are great and have been received with wide acclaim. And speaking of wide acclaim.... I wouldn't bother with Getaway (the others know my feelings on them). Aim high.
.....okay I just deleted a 100 word tirade.... whew! (....he sits down and tries to calm himself once more...)
The croc is a winner (see one of Emil's very early posts on this blog regarding photographing animals in captivity vs "the wild". I recall commenting that his worries were unnecessary. A good read though :) )
Just a word on the 2x3 ratio cropping. I agree with Emil that many photographers stick too rigidly to the format (I am one of them), but it depends on where and how the image is used. Most magazines prefer the 2x3 ratio, and even if you submit it in another format, square for example, there is no guarantee that it will go to print that way. Designers are notorious for hatchet style cropping "to get it in" or worse, "It won't fit in around the text". (Why is text king I say, get rid of it, no one reads the whole article anyway! - But that is just me. You may then reflect after such an experience as to why you spent 20 mins getting your framing just right.
Great stuff. Look forward to seeing more.
Paul. (the angry one!)
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