Consider these elements when culling thru your images to select those to process.
4-Legged Mammals
- Eyes are tack sharp
- Catch light in eyes
- The whites of the eyes are showing
- Shot is at eye level or below with the animal (not above eye level)
- No blown-out white highlights on the animal, unless it’s rim light
- Ears up and facing in the same direction the animal is looking
- For frontal straight-on shots, the nose is sharp in addition to tack sharp eyes.
- There is separation between the 4 legs, no merges with the legs. Easy to see 4 distinctive legs. 9. No appendages clipped (e.g., ears, tail, feet).
- Background landscape lines don’t go directly through or merge with the animal’s head. This includes horizon lines, trees branches, rocks… any background line.
- No vertical lines intersecting or merging with the animal’s head or body
- Outer front leg (furthest from you) is up and bent to show forward motion
- The tail is up or out from the body and visible
- The animal is looking into the frame and is off center in the frame
- For full body shots, the feet are in view
- If the feet are behind something and not in view, the frame includes the blocked area so that the viewer can visualize that the feet would be visible if not blocked
- There is nice tonal contrast between the head and background
- For reflection shots, the body vs reflection is not symmetrical. For example, 1/3 top of the frame is the animal, 2/3 bottom of the frame is the reflection; not half and half.
- Claws are visible
- If close up with vertical trees, ideally is a vertical composition
- For multiple animal shots, there are no intersections or mergers with the animals, unless it’s compositionally great with the merger
- No crops on a joint (e.g., elbows, knees, etc.)
Bird Photos
- Eye(s) tack sharp
- Body and wings are not clipped in the frame
- White areas not blown out to white
- Membrane is not over the eye
- Talons (for raptors) tack sharp if showing
- Both wings visible and extended
- No landscape lines intersecting the eagles body or wings
- Contrasting background behind the bird