Help me choose a picture to enter in the local fair

[jewelerman]

number 5 and 6...the dragonfly picture is crisp and the detail really draws my attention!bet that there will be only one dragonfly in the animal catigory.

 

[treefrog]

#7 then #1

#7 creates a great mood and the depth is excellent

#1 has excellent focus on the subject while utilizing a great fore/background.

Thank you. I have a slew of votes for #7. Personally, I wish it had a flock of backlighted geese flying through it because it lacks a clear subject to me. It is, however, a warm and peaceful scene. I do have a picture of backlighted geese from the same morning but it doesn't have anywhere near the depth as #7.

Per your later comment, I can't give #1 (the single fawn gazing off in the distance) more room. I had been sitting at the edge of a patch of small shrubs for a while when it suddenly popped up from the middle of the patch, looked around, and disappeared back down. I was only about 10 feet away and that's as wide as that picture can go. It's uncropped. I can try cropping a little. She needs some room to look into the frame but I can see what it looks like if I crop it a little.

Treefrog

 

[Nomsdeplume]

Pic 7 is my favourite.
I also like 3.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

I'm in love with #3. It evokes the most emotion from me. I think it's impactful.

 

[treefrog]

They are very good and I had a hard time choosing a favourite. May I do a little constructive criticism exercise (I have been on the receiving end a lot lately and I really improved from it).

Absolutely!

Pic 3 - a wonderful capture and I love the subject and colours, but I am not mad about the placement of the subject, as it seems too static and the bird is a little off center, but not quite on "thirds"
You're right - nowhere near the rule of thirds here. This picture is uncropped. The gull flew so close to me that I had no other choice but to center it with the lens I had. Anything else would have clipped the wings. The real image of this is ridiculously sharp. I think this pic is in a tie for 3rd at my last count. Composition doesn't seem to win with these judges. They'll get lots of family pet pictures, zoo pictures, and a modest amount of wildlife pictures. Will this one be enough to get them to say "wow!"... I don't know. There's only $6 on the line for first place so it's a money losing venture for me.

Pic 2 - I love the tree, the colour of the sky and the eagle (I would have like a little closer up on the eagle, to see more details but this is probably not an issue on a full print). My only caveat is that the subject and treatment isn't particularly original. I would have loved to have taken this one - I am just not sure how judges will react to it.
Thanks, me too. I love the contrast of this. The sun was shining and it was just about to pour. I was right on the edge of a storm and the lighting was remarkable. I wish I had more lens but this was a good distance off and it is cropped a moderate amount. This is in the bottom half of the running at the moment.

Pic 1 - sweet! The depth of field is great and brings out the subject nicely, as do the colours. I do think there is a little too much empty space on the left though. Would it be possible to do a slight crop to balance it out?
It's uncropped so I can definitely crop it a little. I'll play with the framing. I need it to have some room on the left since it is looking that way. I just couldn't quite catch them eating the daisies!

Pic 8 - poor little last duckling got his tail snipped by the frame!
Will scrap this one. It's also in the lower half of the running. I had to nip it's tail. There were a bunch of other geese off to the left and it just took away from the family theme of this. I have many others but not quite in this light and there is too much algae floating on the water. Will try again next year Spring

Pic 7 - I like the colours and atmosphere on this one. Very soothing. My only criticism is that it lacks a clear subject/focus point and I would have liked a little bit more of sky over the trees in distance (the frame just cuts a little of the tallest trees, which looks awkward to me - either cut more of the tops as a deliberate framing choice or give them a little more room).
This was cropped slightly and I'm sure I can get some space above the treeline. Your comments are spot-on. This guy is by far looking like #1.

Pic 6 - the sapling in front of Mama deer kills this for me, but the fawn is darling! A very nice capture that would have been fantastic if that tree had decided to grow elsewhere.
I was surrounded by trees. I had to maneuver to get that angle and I hoped mama deer would move a little but it wasn't to be. The fawn walked away from her. I have a pic of the fawn alone but I was hoping to get the comfort and closeness of the nearby mama deer. Next year...

Pic 5 - my favourite in terms of composition and colour, but doesn't have the "ooh, cute" factor of the baby animals.
This pic has a decent following. It only stayed for a second and I waited but it never came back. I wish I had more in focus but had I done that, I would have lost the creamy background. I have some similar ones in crazy sharp focus but not quite this lighting and composition. Still, I think it might be a solid contender.

Pic 9 - too much background "Noise", drowning out the pair
I need some help here. By "noise", do you mean like film grain or like in distractions? There is absolutely no film grain type of noise in the real image. If by background, ok - nothing I could do about that as it was hiding in a grassy field. Same with the foreground grass. It was a tough shot to get. I was on my belly trying to find a slight opening through the grass where I had enough of an angle to get its eye in focus. The real image of this is crazy sharp as well. Fanfare has never been particularly high for it though; yet it remains one of my favorites.

Thanks so much for the time you put into your comments. I'll see what I can do with the suggestions.

Treefrog

 

[treefrog]

Pic# 3 and 7.

Our Grange fair starts up in about 2 weeks . DD is also having a hard time deciding which of her pics to enter. She has won at least 1 blue ribbon each year for her photos.

Thank you. I wish your DD the best this year! This is never an easy task for me but I just do it for fun so I win either way.

Treefrog

 

[treefrog]

7

Nice work!

Thanks Kenny! I need a macro lens so I can get some good stuff for the plants & flowers category. Someday...

 

[treefrog]

2, 8 and 6 are my favorites!

Very well done! You should come visit my neck of the woods. We have so much wildlife in our backyard everyday, it's insane. Lots of spotted fawns right now. So adorable.

Thanks for your votes!

Sounds like a place I'd enjoy! I'm on my way. Do I make a left or a right from here?

Treefrog

 

[Dee*Jay]

I LOVE the last one! There's just something about this fawn all curled up in the grass that touches my heart. (Oh no -- now I've gone all sappy!)

 

[omieluv]

#1 or #7, for many reasons already mentioned. These were the only two that jumped at me as I glanced at each photo, so they left me coming back for more. They have visual interest, the type one can get "lost" in. Great job.

 

[Maisie]

I love #1 then #5. You are very talented!

 

[yssie]

I really like your labelled pic#7 - it catches my eye and holds my interest, even though it's missing the baby factor..

You have a real talent treefrog

 

[Burberrygirl]

Gorgeous pictures! I love them all but my first choice would be #7 then #1.

 

[risingsun]

I'm not basing them these on critiques, but what caught my eye: #3, 2, and 7. They are all beautifully done. Good luck in the contest!

 

[treefrog]

Ok... two of you wanted slightly less space to the left of the fawn in pic #1. I cropped it a touch. It's a slightly different picture actually taken a second earlier. The other one had a fly on its back that was a little distracting to me. In this image the fawn had moved so it's more obscured by a blade of grass.

 

[chiquitapet]

Amazing pictures! My favourites are #5 and #8.

 

[oddoneout]

I can't choose but I must say you are very talented.

 

[stepcutnut]

Gorgeous photos!!!

I will begin by saying I am a painter, not a photag---but I absolutely love #1 un cropped, then 5. To me, there was just something special about #1 that made me say WOW . Good luck!

 

[movie zombie]

#7.

mz

 

[dragonfly411]

Tree Frog. Looking through I at first thought that one you just cropped because it is so clear and vivid. But I kept returning to picture number 7. I feel like it captures a peaceful scene, and evokes more emotional response from me. I wanted to listen to piano music. I wanted to be there.

 

[Lady_Disdain]

Treefrog - sorry, I got a little lost in translation. By noise, I meant that there was too much to distract from the main figure (all the blades of grass), too "busy". I didn't in the least mean photographical artifacts.

 

[treefrog]

I LOVE the last one! There's just something about this fawn all curled up in the grass that touches my heart. (Oh no -- now I've gone all sappy!)

Hi sappy,

The sole vote for picture #9! I like that one very much as well. It was such am amazing thrill to be there to photograph it. As much as I hated that grass being there, it provided protection for the very young fawn. An unobstructed picture from above just wouldn't have the same impact so I instead went with the reality of an eye-level picture.

Thanks so much,
Treefrog

 

[treefrog]

Gorgeous photos!!!

I will begin by saying I am a painter, not a photag---but I absolutely love #1 un cropped, then 5. To me, there was just something special about #1 that made me say WOW . Good luck!

"WOW" is good. Thanks so much!

Treefrog

 

[treefrog]

Tree Frog. Looking through I at first thought that one you just cropped because it is so clear and vivid. But I kept returning to picture number 7. I feel like it captures a peaceful scene, and evokes more emotional response from me. I wanted to listen to piano music. I wanted to be there.

Thanks dragonfly!

 

[treefrog]

Treefrog - sorry, I got a little lost in translation. By noise, I meant that there was too much to distract from the main figure (all the blades of grass), too "busy". I didn't in the least mean photographical artifacts.

I thought that was likely what you meant but I wanted to make sure. How does the slightly cropped single fawn look to you?

Treefrog

 

[Hest88]

Ohhhh. My votes are #7, then #5, then #3.

 

[Arkteia]

They are all beautiful and technically some are better than others, but I like the mother and the baby. And the dragonfly.

 

[Lady_Disdain]

Treefrog - sorry, I got a little lost in translation. By noise, I meant that there was too much to distract from the main figure (all the blades of grass), too "busy". I didn't in the least mean photographical artifacts.

I thought that was likely what you meant but I wanted to make sure. How does the slightly cropped single fawn look to you?

Treefrog

I think it looks much better. As you said, there is still plenty of room for the fawn to look off into the distance, but it feels more balanced. I love it!

 

[treefrog]

I think it looks much better. As you said, there is still plenty of room for the fawn to look off into the distance, but it feels more balanced. I love it!

Thanks!

A big thanks to the rest of you as well. You guys have helped me narrow it down to a few top pictures. I have them printed and will see which one looks best in print.

I apologize if I didn't get a chance to thank you individually but all of your comments were very much appreciated.

Treefrog

 

[Lady_Disdain]

Treefrog, how was the fair? We want updates!