Critique Style Requested: Initial Reaction
Please share your immediate response to the image before reading the photographer’s intent (obscured text below) or other comments. The photographer seeks a genuinely unbiased first impression.
Questions to guide your feedback
Ok, this is not a technically good image. ISO 6400 AND 2 stops underexposed and the background is way too busy. This was shot before dawn. It required a heavy handed Noise Reduction which resulted in a loss of detail and a bit of a plastic look. I get it, so no need to critique it from that perspective.
I post this because I can’t believe the Heron was able to gobble this huge catfish down. He did, but kinda looked a little sickish afterward.
I came upon him early this morning and startled him. He took off and I knew he had caught something so I followed him to where he felt safer. I watched him stab at the fish numerous times, hold it underwater (drowning a fish?) and then finally gulping it down. It was a very fun thing to watch.
Just a fun image…
Other Information
Please leave your feedback before viewing the blurred information below, once you have replied, click to reveal the text and see if your assessment aligns with the photographer. Remember, this if for their benefit to learn what your unbiased reaction is.
Specific Feedback
Just your emotional feedback. Thanks.
Pretty cool shot. One gets the sense the fish is diving down the throat. There’s a uniformity about the background, that for me, takes away from it feeling busy. Overall, I like the environmental aspect of the image. Nice capture.
1 Like
Good self-critique, David. Some images don’t need to be technically excellent to tell a great story, and this one does.
My emotional response? I think I’m going to go throw up! (OK – that’s meant as a complement!) Seriously, I see no reason to lower the score here for any technical reasons. The IQ is excellent as is the subject and the photography! I will never understand how birds can eat things that big. Do they go take a long nap afterwards while they digest? Are they too over gross to fly?
Whoa, David, that is a mouth full! And nausea definitely springs to mind. Great shot.
What a fun image, David. You have to click off some shots of something like this when it is before your lens, even if you know that it might not be the best quality. I am always amazed when I see these kind of birds swallowing such large fish. Amazing.
@Allen_Brooks, @Dennis_Plank, @Diane_Miller, @linda_mellor, and @Shirley_Freeman thank you for the kind comments. It’s a fun picture, even if it won’t land in my portfolio.
Cheers,
David
2 Likes
Well, David, the action is exciting for sure, and I am always to see what they manage to shovel down their throat. The main area (head and fish) looks fine to me, however one sees the challenge you had in denoising around the cob web area. BG is no dealbreaker for me. Fun to watch ! Cheers, Hans
Initial reaction is that is a big gulp for this bird. Well captured David. Background is typical of the reeds I often see in the wetlands.
