Giraffe at LunchTime

[Strathias]

Hey all, I captured this picture of a hungry giraffe during lunchtime at the zoo yesterday. He must have been pretty hungry to try and eat the wire around the tree!

I'm still learning what all the bells and whistles on my camera do, so for now I'm doing (mostly) automatic settings. This is my first critique post, and I'm looking to get better, so any constructive criticism and/or tips are greatly appreciated. I'm especially looking for feedback on composition and subject choice, but any tips on other settings to make for a better capture are appreciated.



Camera Canon PowerShot S2 IS
Exposure 0.01 sec (1/100)
Aperture f/4.0
Focal Length 61.4 mm
ISO Speed 50
Exposure Bias 0 EV
Flash Off, Did not fire

Thanks!

John

[Doug Sundseth]

Subject:

If you like giraffes, then they're a great subject. I like giraffes.

Composition:

1) It looks like the photo is tilted a couple of degrees to the left. This can be easily fixed in post.

2) I'd like to see either more or less of the giraffe. Either a tight shot of the head and upper neck or a looser shot showing the whole giraffe would, I think, be more interesting.

3) I would consider using a portrait orientation rather than a landscape for a subject like this.

Other stuff:

I'd consider increasing the contrast in post, since the photo seems a bit flat to me. I like your depth of field here. It helps to focus attention on the subject.

[Strathias]

Thanks for the feedback, Doug! I like the idea of a tighter shot on the head or neck. I will try some cropping to see what I can do in that regard. I also see what you mean about the picture being "flat". I'll play around with the contrast and see what I can come up with.

John

[krinarose]

Congrats, good work!Love the layers, love the colours, what a scene! Theres so much in the snap as well.