PreHistoric feel...doest it work?

[torqueguru]

HI guys,
Well i had taken this shot of a garden lizard a while ago. And i was not happy with the shot though it took me a lot of time to get this click( a lot of effort moving ever so slowly in trying to get within a good distance to shoot him). So i decided to liven it up by giving it a more dramatic look. What i did was make 2 more exposures of the shot in photoshop and churned out a very subtle HDR. I want your awesome constuctive critique to make this pic really stand out
Thanks

[AnnetteJ]

I like the angle you shot from and the texture of the scales, it does make the lizard look large and prehistoric. Without seeing the original I can't really say whether the pp improved it, but it does look good now so it might have done. I would try cropping out some of the dead space to the left, giving the lizard more room to look into than is behind its head, this would also change the static central composition to a more off centre, maybe even rule of thirds composition which is supposed to give a pic more dynamism. I like the pic and I think it is worth working on. Just a thought - if your pp skills are good and you think it might be fun you could try to change the background to a jungle scene, that would really make it look like a huge dinosaur!

[wheelhot]

if your pp skills are good and you think it might be fun you could try to change the background to a jungle scene, that would really make it look like a huge dinosaur!

That would be like...wicked!

[RoyL]

Dodge the eye so that it really stands out. And a fine sharpen just to bring out more detail in the scales and face.

Regarding a comment on cropping. This image actually conforms to another rule. If you draw a diagonal line from one corner to another (in this case left top to bottom right) and then from the opposite corner (in this case left bottom) and draw a line so it cuts the diagonal line at 45 degrees. The subject should fall on that intersection. Although the head is above that point it is balanced by the body underneath and there is also the line of the tail leading into the image.

Holding a piece of paper over the left side it does make a good shot. Either way I think it works.

[private]

Have you tried a color pop technique. Duplicate the layer, add a slight glacian blur and then use then set the layer to soft light...

Its a really cool capture.

[AnnetteJ]

Originally Posted by RoyL

Regarding a comment on cropping. This image actually conforms to another rule. If you draw a diagonal line from one corner to another (in this case left top to bottom right) and then from the opposite corner (in this case left bottom) and draw a line so it cuts the diagonal line at 45 degrees. The subject should fall on that intersection. Although the head is above that point it is balanced by the body underneath and there is also the line of the tail leading into the image.

That sounds like an interesting rule, thanks, I hadn't heard of it. Does it have a name? I can't think of an obvious one like rule of thirds has, rule of intersecting 45% diagonals is not quite so snappy...

[torqueguru]

WOW! So many wonderful suggestions! I gathered quite a bit from what all of you said, and here is the reworked one.


@AnnetteJ
I added a jungle background as per your suggestion, my PP skils are evolving only so lots of issues
Here is the original that you had asked for:


Thanks a million to all of you.

[AnnetteJ]

The original shows that the subtle hdr you did really worked well to bring out the texture of the scales. I love the jungle bg! Run awaaaaay!!!

[RoyL]

Originally Posted by AnnetteJ

That sounds like an interesting rule, thanks, I hadn't heard of it. Does it have a name? I can't think of an obvious one like rule of thirds has, rule of intersecting 45% diagonals is not quite so snappy...

Bakker's Saddle, I think it is named after the photographer that created it. It is often used in wedding photography.

And there are more, and more, and more. Photography is no different from art, the same rules apply because you are dealing with three dimensional objects on a two dimensional plain.

These rules are used by journalist's, commercial photographer's or wedding photographer's to grab the viewer AND get the message across that they want to convey.

Leading Lines is another.

I am currently doing massive panorama's of interesting streets, about 4foot by 1.5foot and composed of anything up to a 100 portrait shots. To do it I have to use the Perspective Rule so that the viewer actually feels that they are standing on the corner looking straight up the street or down the side street. Go for the overused Rule of Thirds would completely destroy the panorama.

The sad thing is that if you go onto the web and search most sites only cover the Rule of Thirds. But persistance will produce results. And it is these rules and few little tricks that seperate the professionals from those that would like to be (besides the equipment, which tends to be fully auto).

[torqueguru]

@ROYL
Awesome piece of great info there my friend. Though i hardly had any clue of it when i clicked, i just clicked an angle that looked really interesting to me
Regards,
TG.