On land, sea and air

[Dovrob]

Some older shots I have taken. Again maybe not technically perfect, but for wildlife sometimes its a case of taking your chance when you get it. First two shots taken in St.Andrews harbour, the seals caught while I was involved in a charity trek along the Fife Coastal Path. The final two were caught in Princess Street Gardens, Edinburgh. Feedback welcome and appreciated.

[Geoff F]

As you say, David, not technically perfect; although interesting.

The first one is a grey bird against a grey background and with a heavy shadow in front. I think I would try applying a little sharpening selectively to just the bird which should help to make it stand out from it's surroundings.

The second one is also a little on the 'dull light' side and unfortunately the heron is flying in the 'wrong direction'. Away from us. However, in this case the shadow works well. I think I would crop it to 5 x 4 ratio and lose part of the shore on the right which should give more emphasis to the bird.

I'm not sure of the cause but I'm afraid that the third shot is just hopelessly out of focus.

And unfortunately much the same goes for the next shot where I assume you had too low a shutter speed. This is a great pity as it could have been a real prizewinner. Once again, a bit of selective sharpening would be worth trying.

The last image does have potential but for me there is too much uninteresting grass at the top. I would crop it to 5 x 4 ratio and add a little bit of brightness with an adjustment layer. But don't overdo it. I would use a Curves Adjustment Layer (or a duplicate layer plus mask) then edit the mask slightly to avoid over exposing the paler parts of the squirrel.

[Dovrob]

Thanks Geoff, A lot of interesting reading and ideas there. I'm just learning about layers and masks and so I appreciate all input and comments. Also learning about composition; so hopefully as I post more shots here there is a improvement.