How small can the subject be?

Came upon this deer on the frozen lake, but had a wide angle lens on the camera. This is what I did... it seems pleasing to me if a large version of the image is viewed. Or is it just a jumbled mess? Does it work for you? Be honest...

The deer is not the focal point. It is the branch. And it is back-lit.

So it won't win any awards. You tried to make lemonade with that bag of lemons, but if you don't have enough sugar, all you will get is lemony water.

I have to agree that the large dead branch jutting out does indeed spoil what is otherwise a rather lovely picture, and the shadows blend in and detract from the deer as well. If it had been on an expanse of shadow-less white it might have stood out more. But you can't always help what equipment you have with you when an opportunity presents itself, nor can you influence the weather. So I think you got the best possible shot you could given your constraints, and bravo to you for it.

I hope you don't mind, but I took the liberty of editing your photo out of curiosity to see what I could do. I'm not an expert at post processing by any means, so please take this for what it is. I cropped it in tight to take out more of that limb, then tried to lighten the shadows around the deer a bit. Chromatic abberation was a real issue as you can see, and I wasn't able to control that. I also add a slight bit of vignetting to bring focus more on the deer (I hope_.

Anyway, this is what I came up with:

A definite improvement. Thanks!

But I suppose I must come to the realization that I can't make a silk purse from a sow's ear...

I know it is intended as landscape, but to go for the deer, I'd recrop as portrait. You still get the feel of a large space, but the deer is now centered just below the bottom third and more visually isolated against the white with the shadows leading your viewing eye to it. As above, I fiddled a bit of the shadow away too.

I am famous for taking images like that. I had to just learn to let them go.

Dawg Pics said:

I am famous for taking images like that. I had to just learn to let them go.

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Yup... it's hard to let a shot like that go, knowing what it might have been if the right lens was on hand.

desmobob said:

Yup... it's hard to let a shot like that go, knowing what it might have been if the right lens was on hand.

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If you like the memory, and the subject. No harm in keeping it. WEV's edit was good.