Critique Style Requested: Standard
The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
Yet another from a week ago. The sun peeked through briefly when I was shooting this sequence and made for some rather harsh light. That combined with the typical wet-look of the chickadee made me try the black and white conversion.
Specific Feedback
I know we don’t usually use monochrome for birds, but these aren’t all that colorful anyhow. Does it work?
Technical Details
Sony A1, FE 200-600 + 1.4 TC, tripod with gimbal head, f/9, 1/1600, iso 3200, manual exposure. Processed in LR & PS CC. Cropped to 4913x5735. The catchlight was extremely faint, so I painted in a brighter one over it.
I think some birds work well in black and white and chickadees would fall in that category. So your image works well in black and white. Nicely composed with an interesting perch and pose. The black and white treatment seems to bring out the wet appearance of the chickadee. My only thought would be to see if some of the shadow detail could be brought up.
I like the black and white treatment Dennis with the wet plumage showing up well and the texture of the branch. Fine background too. well done.
Interesting experiment, Dennis. The chickadee is a good subject to explore in B&W and the perch also lends itself to it. I find the image a little too dark and contrast-y - not sure if that is what you were going for. I think you have tamed the lighting pretty well, but the catch light is a little odd - almost like you used a flash. I read your note on it, but think making it a little less prominent may work better.
