Juvenile orangatang

[praline3001]

This is my Favorite shot I took this past weekend. I think I had "techie" better but this one always jumps out at me. I love the composition and his expression.

Questions about it:

1. Is the blurr too distracting? I did finally order a monopod and it will be here next week. In the meantime I know there is some blurr but I am not sure if its too distracting.

2. The shadow on his face, is it too much? I tried lighting it just a bit but if I go too far I blowout his fur. Is it an acceptable amount of shadow?

3. Are the highlights in his fur too overexposed? The morning sun was hitting him at that angle. Due to this being a zoo, my sun placements were very limited.

4. I know his eyes lead you off camera rather then drawing you in. I want the viewer to wonder, "What is he about to do?" He has a very intense expression so you know its something important to him. Does the lead off camera work in this instance?

5. I did shoot this on manual. I know most on here live with their camera on *M* but for me its really stepping outside my comfort zone. The morning sun and shadows were really giving me a hard time with my exposure. I was zoomed in at 300mm so wanted the shutter speed at 400 to help with the blurr for both my hands and the baby's movements. Would you have picked another exposure equation? We have a zoo membership so I can go back and shoot this little darling over and over for free.

Camera Canon EOS REBEL T3i
Exposure 0.003 sec (1/400)
Aperture f/5.6
Focal Length 300 mm
ISO Speed 400
Exposure Bias 0 EV
Flash Off, Did not fire



Juvenile orangatang at the Audobon Zoo in New Orleans by praline3001, on Flickr

[CapnJack]

I really don't see blur on my screen. Exposure & everything looks Ok. There is something to the right that is distracting- it is out of focus (maybe this is the blur you were referring to?) with a purple edge.

[praline3001]

Originally Posted by CapnJack

I really don't see blur on my screen. Exposure & everything looks Ok. There is something to the right that is distracting- it is out of focus (maybe this is the blur you were referring to?) with a purple edge.

The thing on the side is part of her jungle gym. It was hitting the sun and it got that purple tinge to it. I had the same exact thing happen to a baboon's feet. Not really sure why that happened.

I find her face and fur not as crisp as I wanted it. As she had a ton of things to climb on I also struggled with shadows and the bright sun...and trying to keep the majority of his gym out of the shots. I loved her expression but wasn't sure about the other stuff not working.