Alska is a beautiful place - pristine, with its snow and wildlife like this Bald Eagle
What technical feedback would you like if any?
DO these 2 blend ?
What artistic feedback would you like if any?
Proportionate ?
Pertinent technical details or techniques:
(If this is a composite, etc. please be honest with your techniques to help others learn)
The Eagle was shot against a clear blue sky - making the selection relatively easy via PS>Quick Select ( Nikon D4s 300mm/2.8 lens - 1/6400sec / f/6.3 / ISO 800
The mountain range also shot separately with the same lens - intentionally blurred using a Orton effect ( blur more ? )
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Bald eagle - snowy mountain in the BG⌠cannot be any better. The composite is quite believable
in terms of proportion, Karl. @Gary_Minish has some images with a similar proportion which I believe are not composites. That said, I am not sure about the depth of field. Seems like you should blur the mountain before putting in the eagle.
Additionally, maybe you could consider placing the eagle to the right side of the frame. The bird is banking to our left and it makes the right side of the frame a bit âextraâ to the frame. If it were mine, I would also look for a frame where the lower wing does not intersect the body/feet.
Thanks for your feedback Adhika @Adhika_Lie
The mountain background layer was blurred separately. Here is the eagle on the right side - may be aesthetically better.
I also decreased the overall luminosity - perhaps the nth range was too bright earlier ?
Karl, I think that @Adhika_Lie had some good comments for you and I think the rework is much stronger as a result The position of the eagle in the URC looks more pleasing. And the lower luminosity of the mountain helps the rework too.
Orton Effect can be easily overdone, and it does brighten highlights. Itâs often best applied at very low opacity for a more subtle glow. The rework looks better in that regard.
I have to say that I like the original post best even it does break the âgive the subject some room to move spaceâ rule. If it were mine, Iâd leave it be. Great shot of a fine subject and majestic environment. Side note: I am on the verge of going up to Alaska on an inland, small ship cruise and this shot makes me look forward to going even more. Fingers crossed to get a shot or two like thisâŚ
Thanks Dave
Have fun in Alaska - make sure you have adequate shutter speed!
Thanks Ed @Ed_McGuirk
Does this look realistic ?
New England nature judges like DC or RC would spot this one from a mile away, better keep it in Open 
I have no intention of submitting this image anywhere Ed @Ed_McGuirk - and definitely not in Nature - simply trying my PS skills
So thatâs the point - why would RC think this is a composite ?
All composites are declared as such , at least by me
I was just teasing you a little Karl, I know you would never put this into PSA Nature.
The PS masking skills look fine, you have no halos, and that is not always easy to pull off. At least you have the light coming from the same direction on both the mountain and the bird. And you tried to make the DOF look realistic by blurring the mountain. And most important, you disclosed it is a composite.
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To me, the repositioning of the eagle is good. I am not necessarily a big fan of the glow but the brightness feels better in the repost, too. I would even go further with the blurring, Karl.
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I, too, would blur that background even more. I love the overall image; it would be great to chase something similar that wasnât a composite.
