The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
You just never know what you’ll find when you’re in a kayak. I paddled in a place I’ve never been before, although I have been in the lower reaches of this manmade lake. It’s dirty with Bald eagles. I probably saw 1/2 a dozen today and heard them, too. A pair of adults commented as I went by them, a single adult muttered at me (another only glared) and several youngsters yelled their heads off from various perches. They are awkward at this age and needy.
This newly-fledged big baby sort of crash landed and was not happy about it. I heard it before I saw it and I knew it was quite low to the ground, but I didn’t expect this. I came around a bend and - bang - there it was. Right on the shoreline next to me and barely above my head. I was a little nervous about its parents having a go at me, to be honest, but nothing happened, although they were in the vicinity I’m sure. Because neither parent was on hand and junior had to figure things out alone. It flapped up to a small dead tree and yelled for a while before wobbling across the water to land in a tree behind me. Awkwardly. Oh the pains of learning how to fly. It’s ok, Junior, you’ll get the hang of it.
Specific Feedback
It was in a patch of sunlight and I did my best to manage it and the distractions. It’s a wild river bank, so messy, but I did tidy up a little. How does it look? Should I recrop? I have a ton of other shots, too, so maybe I can take requests! Nictitating membrane? No problem! Pooping? Got that, too! Open beak squawking? Yep.
Technical Details
Handheld with irritating winds.
Lr for initial work to even out luminosity and improve color. Topaz Sharpen AI to enhance detail & reduce noise. Further massage with masks to improve the feather contour. Photoshop for distraction removal.
Critique Template
Use of the template is optional, but it can help spark ideas.
Kris, the lighting in this is wonderful. Your low perspective from the kayak is great. It looks like it is still trying to figure out exactly what went wrong with the latest test flight, and definitely not happy about it.
Beautiful light and focus! I don’t mind the background and the ground all around since this is truly what this type of forest looks like. Great capture!
I like the pose of the eagle, Kris, and the background works fine for me. I might consider a recrop. When I look at this image with the eagle so low in the frame, it feels as if you were standing over it rather than shooting from a kayak and probably below it to some extent.
Oh this is magic! If this were my image, I’d probably reduce highlights around the Eagle and then possible a very gently radial gradient around the area to add a soft vignette. What a neat moment!
Great moment well captured! Love the backwards looking head pose. Nice sharpness. You handled the dappled light well even though Pauls’ rework would be something to consider. Maybe more room on one of the sides so the bird is not so centered. What a great experience!
These big babies are such fun to watch and shoot!
Great pose here and marvelous light. I agree with Dennis’s thoughts about more room on the bottom.
Really fine catch!
I don’t have much more room at the bottom of this particular frame, and it’s messier still so I’ve left that, but applied a couple of brush masks to bring down bright bits and exposure somewhat. I neglected to say that I’d already used an inverted radial mask to create a vignette and didn’t want to take it too far. Thoughts on the updated version? I have more shots, too and maybe I can find a decent one with more of the bank below.
Very nice. I like shots like this. It offers a different view than a soaring bird or one perched high on a branch. In a way, its a form of contrast and contrast of just about any kind makes for a compelling image!
Thanks @Paul_Holdorf - contrast is key. In recent years I’ve taken masking further to improve it, but am still pretty cautious with it.
Here’s another look at the bird just seconds apart from the other one. This time there was more below on the bank to include. Thoughts?? @Dennis_Plank ?
The processing and distraction removal are similar in both, but not exact. Not sure they need to be, but maybe.
Still amazing, but I have always preferred the “over the shoulder” look from birds, plus I like the placement of the subject in the first one. Nothin’ wrong here though!
I do, too, that’s why I pulled that backward look one out of the pile first. But any time I get with these birds is good. Hardly ever have them so close.
The light on the face and the over-the-shoulder look of the first more than make up for the difference in position, Kris. Maybe take a tad off the top of the OP to above the tier of highlighted branches. If you want to maintain aspect ratio you could pull in the right side a tad as well.
First: what a great encounter. From the technical details I learn that you must have been pretty close. Even without a capture it would have made my day.
I like both images a lot, but prefer the first one, because of the pose (like other members do). And yes, a bit more space at the bottom is nice, but somehow the bird seems to be a bit closer without that space and that adds to the feeling of a close encounter.
The slight vignette in the rework is a good idea.
thanks @Dennis_Plank, @Han_Schutten & @Diane_Miller - I was darn close to this bird. So much so that I worried about angry parents. Didn’t happen, but the size of them gives you pause when you get near them. I will play with more crops & see what works best. Yeah, young birds are comical even when they will eventually be fierce.
