Cheetah
by trevytrev

Comment:
It appears that zoos are the place to get a lot of good images of exotic creatures. The nearest one of any size from where I live, is about 60 miles. I live in the edge of the Florida Everglades, so I get to see a lot of native animals when I want to go to where they live.
The environment behind the animal in this shot is good for bringing the lighter color of the animal to the front of the image. The green grass in the BG looks out of place for the cheetah that normally would be found in golden savannah country in Africa. This would be stronger to me if cropped to a head and shoulders shot of the animal, and it seems sharp enough to get away with the extreme crop. The eyes say a lot in this shot.

bright green bug
by Bujanx

Comment:
The shot works nicely without the crop. It shows the beast in it's environment, and the DOF and color contrast does the attention focusing . Too bad he was directly head on to the camera. I would like to see a quarter or side view of the little guy.

Water Bug
by Bujanx

Comment:
You did well to get detail in the bug with such a light background. I have photographed these before, and it is a challenge to get exposure right.

Hi There!!!!!
by fantomfoto

Comment:
Even though it isn't a gecko, somehow this makes me think about auto insurance.
I guess the only thing left to make this better would be to have the critter speak when you open the image from the thumb.
The lighten up around and on the subject in the center, and the overall green feel of the image is very "right" for the scene. You captured an awesome pose, and very well too.

two
by tnun

Comment:
This is a nice sharp shot. I like the way you brought the light out on the upper one to accent the droplets. The brightness is about right on my monitor. I can see some detail in the BG, and the highlights through the drops are near full scale white and bright.

Day 6: Mothers Love
by bobonacus

Comment:
Good timing, and it looks great for an iso 1600 shot. You have good subjects nearby for this side challenge.

Waiting
by Prism

Comment:
This has great light. I try to frame animals and people "looking" toward the center of the image. In this case, swing a little to the right, or crop to have the bird not looking out of the frame.
It's interesting to see and learn about all the different birds from far off places in this side challenge.
ETA Oops, I see that Jedusi has already said this after I posted.

Message edited by author 2008-06-06 02:13:44.

Yellow-crowned Night-heron
by JuliBoc

Comment:
Nice find Julie!
The light and the reflection in the water is excellent. You were not only fortunate, but prepared this time.

Asian Short Clawed Otter
by Jedusi

Comment:
Perfect, even to the little drops of water in the whiskers.

Mine, All MINE
by MaryO

Comment:
Love this one. What fun. You used a good group of settings to shoot this, and the scene is precious too.