Hunters Moon

Image By: Daniel Kuske

This is my first blog post that involves a critique of one of my own pictures. This picture was taken in Bozeman. Known as the Hunters Moon, the moon on the morning this was taken was very large in the sky. It had a yellow-orange appearance. I like that the moon is close to the upper left corner. Also, I like the purple hue that was created on the horizon. The clouds also give the picture a lot of texture. At first I didn't like the fence posts, but I'm glad they are there because I think they give the picture more character and the repetition of them doesn't distract from the picture. I increased the shadows in the foreground to bring the attention to the moon. Finally, i wish the sky was a little more blue, but there is still enough color in the picture to make it visually appealing. 

Second Share 2 and Critique

 ISO 100

f / 22

1/30sec

ISO 100

f / 8.0

1/50sec

For my second share 2 and critique, the first photo is a sunrise by my house and the second picture is at Riverfront Park. All edits were done in Lightroom.

Photo Critique

Photo By Julia Denning

I have yet to do a blog post on a critique of someone else's photo. This photo, called "Standing Watch," was one of the submissions of the 2015 National Geographic photo competitions. When I first looked at this photo, I immediately noticed the tree in the middle of the photograph. At first, I mistook this tree to be the subject of the photo. However, reading the caption for the photo made me realize the subject was intended to be the person standing near the tree, whom I failed to identify when first looking at the picture. I think this photo would be more powerful if the person happened to be wearing brighter clothing that stood out to enable him to be the first thing that is noticed. Besides that, I think this is a very good photo. I like how the sun is in the upper left third and just appears as a orange dot. Also, I think that the brief clearing of smoke in the middle adds an artistic touch to the photo. I also think that the shadowy foreground brings my attention up to the tree and person. Finally, I like that nothing is obviously split in half in the frame such as a tree or a bush. 

Website: http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/contest-2015/gallery/week-11-all/7

Some tips on wildlife photography

Lately, I have become really interested in wildlife photography. Animals draw my attention more than landscapes. While reading an article by Melissa Groo, I learned several tips to improve my pictures of wildlife:

• Wear quiet clothing
• Wear camo gloves
• Don't wear any reflective jewelry
• Don't wear perfume or use scented detergent on your clothes
• Remain in the shade as opposed to in the sun
• Approach the animal from downwind
• Move slowly
• When the animal notices you, allow it to get used to you being there
• When the animal drops its head, move towards it
• When the animal raises its head, stop moving
• Avoid eye contact
• Approach the animal at an angle
• Don't block the animal's escape route

This is just a brief summary of the tips that Melissa suggests, and I look forward to implementing them in the field.

Article found here: http://www.outdoorphotographer.com/pro-perspectives/melissa-groo/approaching-wildlife/