Balancing Act

Image Critiques Avian Critiques
1

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Special Note from the Moderators: Thanks to all the avian photographers this week. You made the EP very difficult for us. There were eight or ten close contenders!

Critique Style Requested: Standard

The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.

Description

Southern Yellow-Billed Hornbill
Kruger Park, S Africa
These big, gawky birds land very awkwardly, and often have trouble balancing on the top small limbs they seem to prefer.

Specific Feedback

all thoughts welcome

Technical Details

Sony A1
500 mm
Copyright: Copyright Sandy Richards
Shutter speed: 1/1200 sec
Aperture: 8
Exposure mode: Av
Flash: Off
Metering mode: Spot
ISO: 320

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1 Like
2

Hi Sandy
That is one scary bird. The Clouds helped frame this photograph. There is good control of the blacks & whites and the eye contract is sharp.
Peter

3

Excellent capture with wonderful detail and light! I love the flared wings and the sky is beyond perfect!

4

Excellent, Sandy. The pose is wonderful as is the harvesting action. Is this from your big Africa trip a few years ago or have you been back?

5

Good timing to get the action in this one Sandy. Really nice complementary sky. Great job controlling both whites and blacks to get good detail in the feathers, and I love that crazy yellow eye looking at you.

Congrats on the EP @SandyR-B.

6

Thanks, Dennis, Ed, and Diane - We were scheduled to return again in 2019, then covid arose. Scheduled for 2020, more Covid , finally made it again in 2021. Sadly, we felt there were far fewer large critters around. We said this last trip was our final one (getting older), but we are now both longing for just once more. Maybe in 2026. Brazil this August, then New Zealand in spring 2025.

7

Excellent color rendition along with fine detail in the bird. I really like how the bird is presented against the blue sky while being framed by the clouds.

8

Nice composition with the bird between the sunlit clouds. Great pose and detail in the bird. The sense of action adds to the image.

9

Sandy, I really like this shot. The wing spread and him grabbing branch to help balance him in the tip of the tree makes this a nice “action shot”. Nice job.

10

Congratulations on the EP, Sandy – very well-deserved!

11

Actually, he is using his beak to hang onto those small branches to balance. He wasn’t very successful, falling off to the side several times but eventually recovering. Quite humourous to watch, and his (typically) grumpy face seemed to show his ire.
How’s that for Anthropomorphism ?

12

Thanks for the nice comments and the EP~
MANY great avian images this week, so I’m humbled…

13

I really like everything about this capture. I found myself wondering what it’s doing but I’m not sure it matters. If I wouldn’t have read your description I would have been happy to just let the mystery be. Super shot.