Lazy croc

[jjwaran]

Hi

This is a photo of a croc shot at Ranganthittu Bird Sanctuary (India). Just recently, I started photography as a hobby. Please Critique this shot. Thanks

Camera:NIKON D5100
Lens AF-S DX NIKKOR 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR
shutter speed:1/1000
Aperture f/5.6
Focal Length 300 mm
ISO Speed 400
Metering Mode: Matrix

[crockny]

In animal photography the eyes are very important - in this case that part of the face is in shadow and the snout is in sunlight, not an ideal situation. Also the snout is out of focus. You could have used a smaller aperture since I'm assuming the croc wasn't moving much so you could have used a slower shutter speed to make up for the smaller aperture ...

[jjwaran]

Got the point, thanks, just in case if one has to shoot a subject under a tree, partially lit, how does one go about?

PS: I understand, Patients is a Virtue

[crockny]

FYI - that's patience :-) -- patients go to the doctor ...

In the case of the croc, there's not much you can do - try a different angle, get the whole croc in, shoot a different croc in a different location, etc. Sometimes it just doesn't work. If you expose for the eye you'll blow out the snout, etc. I think croc eyes when open are quite stunning. Time of day and the angle of the light are very important things to pay attention to. Keep trying!

[KurtM]

I agree with all crockny says, especially that the eyes are most important! There's simply no substitute for getting sunlight directly on the eyeballs. I shoot lots of alligator pics myself, and unless the eyes are quite clearly presented, I consider the shot a dud ...... just can't see any way around it.

I which case I do as crockny suggests: I "keep trying".

[jjwaran]

Thanks a lot, I’ll work on it. Is it a good thing to use a polarizer on a telephoto lens to shoot Crocs in water.

PS: The Typo is courtesy of auto completion settings on my mobile.

[KurtM]

Polarizer ....... Well first of all, I'm never eager to putz around with filters when shooting wildlife as there's simply no time for it. I'm either going to have it off and wish it were on, or vice versa, or worse -- I'll lose a shot because I'm fussing with a filter instead of being ready for the right instant.

After that, it depends on whether you want reflections or not. This shot rather wants the surface of the water to be mirror-like, so a polarizer would work against me:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7152/6...b7ec08be_z.jpg

But I have other shots where I want the crystal clear water to be evident, perhaps to show a submerged foot or whatever. It all depends on the effect you're after.

I'll save filters for non-mobile subject matter ....... although I gotta say your croc looks pretty non-mobile.