Composition help for a new photographer

[Brittany Allison]

Canon PowerShot S3 IS
f/35
1/400
Aperture 3.62
No flash

I'm a quite new photographer. Still trying to get the hang of my camera. Does the composition work here? Is the background distracting. I think I should've moved over a smidge to get the whole chicken in front. All critiques welcome!!!

[peeperita]

your exposure looks terrific...but you're right about the background.....

i have a thing for shooting chickens too.....it's a bit harder than some folks would think.....they're fast and skittish.....it takes sitting in one spot, facing a suitable looking background and waiting for the rooster to cross your path....



peeper

[sican]

Well, first of all you should've tried to include the entire rooster. Or if you'd like to try and crop the rooster more, to convey the action of it.
Next I would have shot it from a higher viewpoint, since the background isn't clean (farm, other chicken, trees) which can be distracting. By shooting higher, I'd composite the rooster on the bottom (or the top) of the photo whilst having the grass behind it work as a seamless distraction-less background.
I'd also sharpen the photo a bit, since I think the rooster is a bit out of focus.

Hope I helped a bit!

Regards,
Alex Cican

[ricklumpas]

Does the composition work here? No
Is the background distracting? Yes

[Brittany Allison]

peeperita - yes, it's very hard! This is the one 'good' one of about 20 that I took following those damn chickens around!!

[Kelfin]

In addition to sharpening up the rooster, you might want to think about adjusting the vibrance. The colors looks a tad washed out to me.

[Laurenbiz]

I agree that this seems very washed out. I don't know what the EXIF data was for this shot, but my guess is that the exposure was too long. Perhaps, also, the sun caught the lens just correctly without a lens hood attached. Increasing contrast in PP, or also a curves adjustment should help this.

Because the chicken in the foreground is cut off in the frame, I don't feel like it is the main subject. Because the chicken in the background is out of focus due to, presumably, a wide aperture, I know that that chicken is also not the main subject. So, because of the composition, I'm really confused.

My two cents! :-)