Snow Day!

Hey Ashleigh,

Welcome to NPN - and to the Wildlife Gallery in particular.

This is a great first post - the technicals look quite solid (and even getting the exposure spot-on in these conditions isn't always easy), and there's a real big cute factor here. Good choice to stop down and extend the Depth of Field (DoF) over most of the subjects. My only small suggestion would be to try to get the subjects a little off the center line (vertically) - I often choose to reduce the amount of foreground (especially if it's out-of-focus), but that's a personal preference issue.

You might hear some asking to see a larger version (up to 1200 pixels on long axis) - that would be my biggest nit on this one (being deprived of the pleasure of seeing this larger). And that's a pretty good "problem" to have!

Cheers...

Brad

Hi Brad, thank you.

Im sorry I missed the larger file upload. I won't forget next time.

Here is a new file with less foreground.

Looks like a bunch of kids out playing in the snow. As Brad said there is quite a bit of cuteness here. But if it makes someone in the general public stop to think about our wildlife that's great. As for doing a larger version, I have a suggestion. A couple of months ago, the site started a new process. If you post the image as a large to start with (meaning 1200 pixels on the long side and a file size no greater than 500, the site will automatically generate a small version and pop it into that space. Therefore, you only have to produce one image to post which cuts down on your time and saves space on your hard drive. Thanks for posting this and look forward to more.

Hi again Ashleigh,

You know - I definitely prefer the repost...thanks for taking the time to rework the shot. No worries on not posting the larger image...it's totally at your discretion.

NOTE to both Peter and Ashleigh (and anyone else who is interested): While having the NPN system auto-generate the smaller version of the shot will save time, you lose some control over adjusting the sharpness of the small version that way. Final image sharpening should always be done AFTER image re-sizing (i.e., after all other editing of the image). For many/most images the visual difference in sharpness between an auto-resized image and a "custom" resized one (with careful sharpening at the end) would be small, but if you're uber-anal about your image quality (yep, sign me up for that), then it is something you should be aware of.

Welcome Ashleigh - amazing first post here - the cuteness factor is off the charts, and it is also technically well done. I also prefer the repost, really shows what a simple (but well thought out) crop can do. Looking forward to more from you

Very nice first post Ashleigh and well done finding these guys playing together.
This is a great place to learn and hone your photography skills and I too am looking forward to seeing your work progress.

Terrific find! I like the repost best, and that it added a tiny bit of space on our left for the left-most individual to peer into.

Nice capture! I know how hard it can be to get all these little guys in a pose at the right time and be able to hit the shutter to manage to catch it. These little guys seldom seem to slow down or stop for any period of time. Good job. Ditto on the repost. I am not necessarily a fan of sticking to traditional cropping and tend to freelance with the dimensions quite a bit. Not sure how others feel about it. My 2 cents.

Very nice shot. The repost works better.

D&L

one fun looking bunch of otters, well done. I agree that the new crop is better.

What an awesome looking otter family, out for a day sledding in the fresh powder I suppose. It's sweet that you caught all of their snow covered heads facing toward you. Your depth of field is perfect, along with sharp details. I like the second version also.

Sweet Photo Ashliegh

Very nice picture of this family. I agree with others, I prefer the repost image.

I really like the fact that you managed to control the exposure in tricky condition. Overall a very fine image.

Ashleigh,
I have never seen an Otter so this is special for me the re-post improves the image a lot.