There's a lot of light here, diagonal lines, and I tried to put that bare log on a third line.

There's light on that ridge, the hill is big with some jagged lines, and the shore and horizon are on third lines.

The berries are red and on a third line, there's light on the snow, and there's difference in the snow and leaves.

I shot the leaves because they're red and I wanted to make them sharper in the foreground.

The log is different, big, sharp, and on a third line.

Wildlife

http://tanyabright.photoshelter.com/gallery-image/Primates/G0000Oy3cfODTlMw/I0000k.EnzfMyX0Y

I've found myself more attracted to wildlife images lately. I think I'm going to invest in a telephoto lens, so I can get some shots like these of my own. I like the unique moments in animal behavior you can capture. Like the mother and baby gorilla. I'm particularly interested primate images, there's a lot of humanity in them, in the eyes. I also like the practice of really getting to study and know your wildlife subject. I want to immerse myself in something and capture something unique.

Decisive Moment

http://www.naturephotographers.net/imagecritique/ic.cgi?a=vp&pr=182757&CGISESSID=0872ec0c36298aa256ebba2cc021a9bf&u=17248

Was this luck or was it skill and persistence?

This guy followed the coyote for a few hours, observed its behavior and caught this decisive moment. I'm sure if we explored his other photos we would find similar shots because he knows how to get them.

My eye is first attracted to the big rock. The long exposure waterfall forms a nice background for it. The smooth water and smaller rocks make a nice bed and create a pleasing companion to the waterfall. The moss on it seems old and I linger there for awhile.

I also really like the greens behind the waterfall. It's a little hidden, but it still pops. It gives it a humid feel for me. I feel like I'm there and it's a little warm and I smell vegetation.

Hills and Mountains

http://www.outdoorphotographer.com/images/gallery/full/71/208071.jpg

I think this could have been a really great photo, but there's one thing that really bothers me. That hill in the front gets in the way and distracts from the most interesting elements of the picture. The clouds dance through the peaks, there's a little blue sky, beautifully lying snow, and there's a nice lead up from the grass with dispersed rocks up to the mountains. It would have been a lot better from another angle or distance.

I see another potential photo to the left of the frame. Those smooth rocks have some interesting lines. I would have cut them from this picture and made them their own subject.

f5.6
ISO 280
55 mm

f8
ISO 100
55 mm

Prairie

Photo By Fred Fiato

I thought I would post something I didn't really like. This picture has a lot of subjects I like--prairie, rolling hills, darkening clouds. But it all doesn't come together for me. I think it might be all the yellow. That kind of makes the prairie a difficult subject. It's yellow a lot. I guess that's a challenge to the photographer to find a way to make it work because with all its vastness, it can be quite beautiful.

This photo is an example of something technically sound that doesn't make a great composition. It has the five planes. 1. The weeds in the foreground are an interesting landscape detail that give scale. 2. The mid-ground has the tire tracks that lead the eye. 3. The hills are the center of interest. 4. The cloud plane has clouds. 5. And then there's a little blue sky.

It technically works on the five planes and if that's how you judge a work, then it'll work for you. But, to apply it to the aesthetic rules, there's too much yellow. One thing from those rules that I think should be broken here. The photo might be more attractive if the clouds were darker.