A day at the Zoo

[Kram1982]

Hi, I took this pic of a baby Hippo when I recently went to the Zoo. The last time I visited the Zoo was when I was in primary school. The place changed quite alot and I felt that it was very well run. The visitors are able to be within close proximity of the animals in their "natural" habitat.


The baby hippo was taking a dip with its mama (i think )

I am new to photography and currently using a canon eos 10d.
The photo was taken with the following settings
shutter speed: 1/30s
aperture: F/4.5
focal length:73mm
ISO:1600
The image was not edited in PS cause I dun really know how to use it yet. Any recommendations on books to borrow from the library?
I would like C&C on the composition, exposure and sharpness. I know it is very noisy because of the high ISO but the shot was taken indoor and I dun have a tripod. I have other shots taken with lower ISO but it is quite blurry because of the longer shutter speed. Are there any tips when taking such photos?

[andrewtansj]

went there to take picture as well... was not able to get a sharp image as shooting through the glass... thought you did quite well shooting through the glass in low light...

[F2point8]

I feel that the main subject lacks sharpness.
The background is also kind of distracting - esp the white object...
Any way, good attempt without tripod.

[ExplorerZ]

like what the others have said, its a little blur, but at least the setting was pretty much at its optimal...

I think i would prefer more contrast and also find the blown highlight around the hippo and of cause the background a little of distracting...
secondly, i think the shot would have worked better if it was a face to face frontal shot. some cropping might also make the hippo get more emphasize from the viewer.

[m3lv1nh0]

Welcome.. a very good book to get is "The Adobe Photoshop CS3 book for digital photographers" by Scott Kelby. Available at Popular bookstore at $72. Highly recommended!

[tribal.snake]

nice pic, considering u have to shoot through the glass
the oof is probably due to it.
cropping is fine.

[Kram1982]

Thanks for all the comments, I will go to the library to see if the book is in stock first before deciding on the purchase. Yea, the whitish thing is the reflection from the glass i think. Actually, I feel that it makes the surrounding misty like in a rain forest.

[raptor84]

Composition wise I feel that your subject placement dosent draw enough attention to it. This is made worse because of that bright spot in the background. When taking things behind the glass one way is to go right up such that your lens is as near the glass as possible (and hopefully its not too dirty) The last time I tried that there was also some motion blur as the animal was swimming towards me. Its all about patience, timing and luck sometimes

[Kram1982]

icic thanks for the tip.. so should i follow the rules of third to make better composition?

[hidden3]

Originally Posted by F2point8 I feel that the main subject lacks sharpness. The background is also kind of distracting - esp the white object... Any way, good attempt without tripod.

yeah i kinda find it distracting too, but overall its still quite nice. just that it lack something. like ur subject dont really stand out.

[raptor84]

Originally Posted by Kram1982 icic thanks for the tip.. so should i follow the rules of third to make better composition?

THose are guidelines to follow. Ingeneral is does make for a more pleasing composition but there are times when you can break them to make it better...

[ahbian]

Good try. With the head partially submerged, I think it would make a greater impact if you were to shoot it head on.