Final 10 photo critique

1) http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y_PLhE-aNqQ/Up4dwkN-teI/AAAAAAAAACo/-lNyQlGqt0s/s1600/DSC_5604.jpg

I really liked this photo for multiple reasons. There is a a great spectrum of colors in the photo, it follows the rule of thirds, the tree to the left of the photo is a great lead in, it was shot at a great f stop which is great for landscape and the colors are appealing.

2) https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs__iFtrS41JQQFYtm-cr946HD6OahyphenhyphenJKqd_Tg5m9edYapROF2fgKZajgJRfWSHfnhYLM2_dWjedHaUutCTD2oSgCaKeKXMjwwXteB9uDHqUVpYhPPsDIJqaR0RVOXdAGdzI7UMWMzclY/s1600/_RW_1758.jpg

This photo is kinda a mind bender. I'm guessing that its ice, but at initial look, you could think other things. It almost looks like a shot of clouds and weather systems from space, which makes for a mind trip. The contrast in the photo gives it great detail. This photo just really stood out to me.

3) https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAsU4D9pF3dU5MHIqrtmqrZiGzxHlRrljK3NMXoHLIXlPG8hdYWKSTn35kOmPvlxblZ_pheA-UeO8sg_Rth0fe_IiLv34v_dyR_nK08xrmSuxoJu00UoqZ88dqhVBQ1erV4NT6xsXiugkk/s1600/sun+set.jpg

This photo was really appealing to me when it was shown during presentations. Initially this photo grabs your attention because of the reds in the sky and water. Then you start to notice all the finer details of the photo such the surface of the water. The photo kind meets the rule of thirds, but is slightly off, perfecting this would have made it great.

4) http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eec7_mx9iPw/UpuxP1fgmiI/AAAAAAAAAMY/ko2QTaGEqAY/s1600/untitled+%25283+of+21%2529.jpg

This photo was awesome upon initial glance. The changes in color are amazing and it follows the rule of thirds. The reflection of mountains in the water is great, but would have probably been nearly perfect without the little wind making the ripples. I think a little bit more detail could have been captured if using a slightly larger f stop, but overall a great photo.

5) http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Af42a-uHDF4/UqbJyRNHBzI/AAAAAAAALMM/GbnV3K8KaJE/w514-h772-no/IMG_2752.jpg

This is the first good moon photo I've seen in a while. I really like the contrast in colors throughout the photo. I would have liked to see some more detail in the moon. I think changing this photo to black and white might have gave the photo the detail I'm looking for. But the halo around the moon in the clouds is pretty sweet.

6)  http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pNwzt3DbgWM/Up6s1_VqZ-I/AAAAAAAAAH0/bl10P74vtd8/s1600/YNP-5386.jpg

This photo is just simply amazing to me. The warm colors really grab your attention and are inviting. The clouds don't even look natural, the also look like cartoon birds that were drawn in. And there's even detail and snow in the mountains towards the bottom of the picture. It really follows the rule of thirds as well. Great photo.

7) https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5ZyXxum0aKgg-_M_w6NlPBdBG8gyGwEB2D5ITP5aXNtOmgDxYXR1g2lKw6VUwivqWrjE9wAsbL507CQroMKb9dIQ7DomvihMB_IDsrMx6Krb6pmy0-eg3y8bsXN_VhuNO-A9bm_BF2QM/s1600/IMG_3615.jpg

This photo really grabbed my attention due to the extreme amount of detail that was captured. The blurred background made the subject really stick out and gave it more detail. It might have made it nice to have more image to the left to give the eagle something to look into, as well as the feathers on its nose pulled some attention of detail of the eagle. Great photo though.

8) http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-85SOsS7YY4A/UqCmm1YOFfI/AAAAAAAAAHE/MCQJxaPbOPM/s1600/EDIT-1748.jpg

I really enjoyed the contrast of colors in this photo, and especially the ice reflecting off the ground under and around the bird. I like the detail that was captured in the bird, although I would have liked to have see a faster shutter speed to completely stop the bird. But have the bird positioned like it is in the photo is really appealing. Nice photo.

9) https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-WeAPZGYlPCu94PiABiu-vWZySFgQHcfKpUx9_fSX57grA-US4vO8tLwrCxQ-IzmnE62Fdtzd2kzK35v4wj-qihg0d1B-l6elg-KWJ2Rwpjfjc06R_J4ymwPlpMz7uLMi2pLnObXr1jGM/s640/Yellowstone+2013+302.jpg

This is probably one of the best landscape shots I've seen this semester. The rule of thirds is great, the water leads you up to and through the image, the detail is pretty good, and the way the photo is shot almost gives you like a tunnel vision affect. Great photo.

10) http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bhFugK8IJA8/UpuxJ5CtJFI/AAAAAAAAAL8/rob-htAytCU/s1600/untitled+%252815+of+21%2529.jpg

I really enjoyed this photo for the most part. The rule of thirds was followed well, there was great detail, lines that catch your attention and draw you through the photo and captured the essence of a more secluded portion of Yellowstone. My only downside is that it was a little over edited, other than that, awesome photo.

3 Image Critique

Image #1 - The image was taken with a 70 second exposure, which makes sense given the soft clouds/fog that is pouring out. I like that the brightness on the left bottom of the image draws you into the rest of the photo and the horizon. But the trees in the front right of the image almost seem to stick out too much and almost look photo shopped into the photo.

Image #2 - This photo was also taken with an extended exposure, giving the foreground the soft blurred quality. This picture also follows the rule of thirds really well with a foreground, middle ground in which the main subject is located, and the horizon for the last/ top third. I kind of don't like the blurred foreground though, it's distracting to me.

Image #3 - I really like this photo and how the squirrel is perfectly in focus while the rest of the image is out of focus. I think with a faster shutter speed this photographer could have also slowed down the tail of the squirrel, making it an even better photo. Having the branch a little more in focus would kind of eliminate the thought that the squirrel is just flying as well.

Final - 30 original photos

Nikon D60, 55.0-200.0mm f/4.0-5.6, ISO 100, 200mm, f/5.6, 1/25 sec

Nikon D60, 18.0-55.0mm f/3.5-5.6, ISO 100, 42mm, f/5.3, 1/15 sec

Nikon D60, 18.0-55.0mm f/3.5-5.6, ISO 100, 48mm, f/8.0, 1/400 sec

Nikon D60, 55.0-200.0mm f/4.0-5.6, ISO 200, 175mm, f/5.6, 1/1250 sec

Nikon D60, 55.0-200.0mm f/4.0-5.6, ISO 100, 200mm, f/6.3, 1/400 sec

Nikon D60, 55.0-200.0mm f/4.0-5.6, ISO 100, 55mm, f/4.5, 1/2500 sec

Nikon D60, 55.0-200.0mm f/4.0-5.6, ISO 500, 175mm, f/5.6, 1/60 sec FLASH

Nikon D60, 55.0-200.0mm f/4.0-5.6, ISO 200, 150mm,f/5.3, 1/60 sec FLASH

Nikon D60, 55.0-200.0mm f/4.0-5.6, ISO 400, 180mm, f/5.6, 1/50 sec

Nikon D60, 55.0-200.0mm f/4.0-5.6, ISO 560, 135mm, f/5.0, 1/60 sec FLASH

Nikon D60, 55.0-200.0mm f/4.0-5.6, ISO 400, 116mm, f/4.8, 1/50 sec

Nikon D60, 55.0-200.0mm f/4.0-5.6, ISO 100, 190mm, f/7.1, 1/30 sec

Nikon D60, 55.0-200.0mm f/4.0-5.6, ISO 100, 165mm, f/5.3, 1/100 sec

Nikon D60, 55.0-200.0mm f/4.0-5.6, ISO 100, 200mm, f/5.6, 1/20 sec

Nikon D60, 55.0-200.0mm f/4.0-5.6, ISO 400, 200mm, f/5.6, 1/125 sec

Nikon D60, 55.0-200.0mm f/4.0-5.6, ISO 400, 175mm, f/5.6, 1/80 sec

Nikon D60, 55.0-200.0mm f/4.0-5.6, ISO 500, 200mm, f/5.6, 1/60 sec FLASH

Nikon D60, 55.0-200.0mm f/4.0-5.6, ISO 400, 200mm, f/5.6, 1/50 sec FLASH

Nikon D60, 55.0-200.0mm f/4.0-5.6, ISO 100, 55mm, f/22.0, 1/120 sec

Nikon D60, 55.0-200.0mm f/4.0-5.6, ISO 100, 55mm, f/4.5, 1/80 sec

Nikon D60, 55.0-200.0mm f/4.0-5.6, ISO 100, 110mm, f/4.8, 1/320 sec

Nikon D60, 55.0-200.0mm f/4.0-5.6, ISO 100, 190mm, f/5.6, 1/160 sec

Nikon D60, 55.0-200.0mm f/4.0-5.6, ISO 100, 200mm, f/5.6, 1/125 sec

Nikon D60, 55.0-200.0mm f/4.0-5.6, ISO 100, 80mm, f/4.5, 1/13 sec

iPhone 4s, ISO 50, 4.28mm, f/2.4, 1/1500 sec

iPhone 4s, ISO 50, 4.28mm, f/2.4, 1/300 sec

iPhone 4s, ISO 80, 4.28mm, f/2.4, 1/120 sec

iPhone 4s, ISO 50, 4.28mm, f/2.4, 1/120 sec

iPhone 4s, ISO 50, 4.28mm, f/2.4, 1/200 sec

iPhone 4s, ISO 50, 4.28mm, f/2.4, 1/850 sec

Fly Fishing The Horn

I was going back through some of my photos I took of my buddies while fly fishing the Big Horn river a few weeks back. I noticed I had some pretty good photos that I should edit and get up on the blog! Both capture the fly in motion, one is a sunset picture and the other I'm getting the stink eye from my buddy Brad. Enjoy the photos!

Weekend Warrior

This last weekend I had the opportunity to go up to Flathead Lake for work to pick up a few Trumpeter Swans to bring back to Billings. While up there I was blessed to be able to go kayaking on Flathead Lake, while also taking in all the beauty around me. On the drive home I was also blessed with beautiful landscapes to admire, including the Crazy Mountains near Big Timber, right around sunset. So from my weekend adventure, I thought that I'd share a few photos (taken with my iPhone)! Enjoy!

Kayaking Flathead Lake

Crazy Mountains

Birds of a Feather Flock Together

I took some more time to shoot some photos at my place of employment. I took a set of photos right about sunrise and fought with the poor lighting a bit while doing so. Even though 75% of my photos turned out like crap, I had a few that I really liked and decided to edit. So I decided to share a few of my favorites from this most recent shoot.  I plan on hopefully getting a great photo of every bird species that I have at work. In the mean time, enjoy these few photos.

Canada Goose

Emperor Geese

Bird Life

Working at a bird refuge has it's up and downs, but when you have a passion for animals, I think there's many more ups than downs. I've only been working at WJH bird resources for a month now and I have already grown attached to some of the feathery residents. Upon my favorites at work is OJ. OJ is a 3 year old female trumpeter swan that was hand raised at WJH, making her fairly accustomed to people. And upon my other favorites are the Emperor Geese. So I decided I'd share a few photos I took with my iphone to show off my new friends! Enjoy!

Emperor Goose

OJ the Trumpeter Swan

Another day, Another Fish.

Last week, I took two full days to just go fishing. I fished the Stillwater and Big Horn rivers in consecutive days with my buddy Brad. Both days were excellent days for fishing and we produced some nice looking fish. I instructed my buddy Brad on how he should take a photo of me and one of my fish I caught on a streamer. So the picture is actually of me and not one that I took, but I really liked the way it turned out since I told him to focus on the fish so I was blurred in the background.

Not So Wildlife

I recently started working at WJH Bird Resources west of Billings, Montana. The waterfowl are somewhat habituated and don't mind the presence of humans too much, making for easy photography opportunities. I only took about 30 minutes to shoot a few photos the other morning of a few of the waterfowl species at WJH Bird Resources. I eventually plan on getting more photos of all the species residing in the sanctuary. In the mean time enjoy a few of the photos I have taken of these captive waterfowl!

Juvenile Smew (Merganser Family) 

Black-necked Swan

Emperor Goose

Cast and Blast Sunrise

I got to the Big Horn River last Saturday before day break for some cast and blast, which is the combination of fly fishing and duck hunting. The morning was chilly, perfect for the opening morning of duck hunting. The sunrise that morning was brilliant and I couldn't help but capture a photo. This made for a great start to a day full of fly fishing and duck hunting.

Photo Critiques

#1 - The water in the photo behind and in front of the main subject seems to be half way between being in focus and out of focus, but that was probably a sacrifice made to get the right exposure to get detail in the bears face and the details in the fish.

#2 - Attention right away for me is drawn to the red leaves to the left of the photo. I also feel like tree/ log over that red spot of leaves in the back is a distraction.

#3 - This image doesn't really follow the rule of thirds like most photos. But the image does seem to draw you in at the top left and keep you in the left side of the photo since there is not much attention drawn to the right.

#4 - The jagged peaks draw more attention than the curved peaks of the mountains. More attention is also drawn to the area of lights (Or where the snow is located). Noticing the stars in the sky was one of the last things I saw about the photo.

#5 - This photo contains all 5 elements of a good landscape photo, and could have the magical sixth if there were more clouds in the photo. The main subject of the photo seems to be the geothermal hole, and it seems too low and not centered in the photo ( This feature catches the most attention for me anyways).

#6 - Attention right away is drawn to the bird, the head being first because of the red, and the rest of the body second because of the yellow. The blurred background turned out pretty good, but some of the branches that are half way in focus do draw a little attention away from the bird.

#7 - The photo looks overexposed, but was probably done so to grasp details in the face of the bear and details of the fish. The sharpness of the image would have been great if the shutter speed was faster and the drops of water from the fish and bear were no blurred. Looks like the photo could have used a polarized filter as well.

#8 - Attention right away is drawn to the red flowers, then to the horizon where the oranges and yellows are. There seems to be a lack in detail of the moose, but that might also be because of the smallness of the image on my screen. It could have been exposed more to better captured detail in the moose.

#9 - This shot would have been even more epic if it was captured at a faster shutter speed, which would stop the wings, water, and put more detail in the fish.

#10 - The rule of thirds is followed nicely in this image. The bear further back in the image tends to draw attention from the rest of the landscape, even though there is not a whole lot to look at. The photo is cool and colors and makes you cold just looking at it.

Random Goodness

I took some time over the past week to take some random photos as I felt necessary. I tried to take my time with these photos and focus on my camera settings to achieve the best results. Some didn't turn out as well as I had hoped, but I was able to get a few nice photos. Enjoy!

I took this picture up by Lake Elmo in Billings, MT. I enjoyed the blurred, yet color background that doesn't draw too much attention from the flowers that are in focus.

This is my cat Hannah, she likes to help motivate me with my homework. I liked this picture because I was able to capture a lot of the detail in her face. I also like that my blurred pencil or right edge of the notebook lead into the main subject.

I took this while fly fishing the Big Horn River last week. My buddy Brad was fishing near sunset and I tried to get just his silhouette, but it didn't quite turn out the way I had planned.

Bighorn River Brown Town

Last Friday I was a naughty student and decided to skip a class to enjoy a day of fly fishing on the Bighorn River near Fort Smith, Montana. I went with two of my good friends on this trip, rather than by myself like I usually do. Yet, I still have many photos of fish that I took myself. The brown trout this time of year are just starting their trip up river to spawn, and this movement was greatly noticed on this day of fishing! My day consisted of catching nothing nut brown trout between the sizes of 16" and 22". This made for an exciting day of fly fishing that will be on my mind for weeks to come!(All 3 photos were taken with my iPhone 4s)

This was on the shorter end for the length of trout, but had the most girth and put up the biggest fight throughout the day!

This was one of the first brown trout I caught on this day of fly fishing. There's always a few first mandatory photos to prove to people that you did catch some fish.

This was one of the longest fish of the trip that I caught. I decided to use a color splash app on this photo and its one of my favorite fishing photos that I have yet to take!

Fishy Business

I only have one of my personal photos with this post, but I did want to take a little time to share a photographer’s photos that I thoroughly enjoy. I think I primarily enjoy these photos because of the fly fishing aspect, but they are gorgeous shots period. Jennifer de Graaf is based out of British Columbia and shoots a little bit of everything, but has a passion for fly fishing. I wasn't actually able to able to attach Jennifer's pictures because of photo protection, but I made sure to add the links and some of my thoughts about the photos. The fly fishing photos she's able to capture are spectacular and get you itching to go throw some flies in the river!

This is a photo of a Mormon cricket I took with my iPhone 4s, it was found on the Beartooth Plateau just outside of Montana and just inside of Wyoming.  http://gracerosephotography.photoshelter.com/ Here’s a great picture of a dandy rainbow trout. The fast shutter speed capturing the drops of water coming from the trout really complete the photo. http://gracerosephotography.photoshelter.com/gallery-image/Fly-Fishing/G0000NHYrG.vsLq8/I0000znk7vySgqLA I love this photo of a beautiful cutthroat trout because of the amazing detail captured. Every little groove and texture can be seen on the trout and even the fly line. http://gracerosephotography.photoshelter.com/gallery-image/Fly-Fishing/G0000NHYrG.vsLq8/I0000C9ETBKMa_pc