A flock of about 15-20 flew into a nearby tree and they are so frenetic it’s hard to get a decent shot. This guy stopped long enough, and in the open, to get a shot off.
Type of Critique Requested
Aesthetic: Feedback on the overall visual appeal of the image, including its color, lighting, cropping, and composition.
Technical: Feedback on the technical aspects of the image, such as exposure, color, focus and reproduction of colors and details, post-processing, and print quality.
Specific Feedback and Self-Critique
I wonder if I should clone out the background branch. On one hand it does draw the eye some, on the other, it adds to where the bird was.
Technical Details
Canon R5; 100-500 at 500 mm; 1/800 at f7.1, +2/3 EV; ISO 4000
Hey, Allen. That is an awesome behavioral shot. That camera and lens setup is a beast in the hands of someone who knows how to use it. All the techs are there and I like the overall dreamy softness of the shot. I personally like the branch left in the shot; it adds a little texture to my eyes. Were you shooting hand held? Nicely done.
Aesthetic: I like the way the image balances. I’m a little torn on the LRC yellow but it isn’t a huge deal
Technical: Image isn’t showing the level of detail I’d expect. It is showing some issues with noise, and there are some whites that are not showing detail. I’m guessing they are there in the RAW file.
Thanks for commenting @terryb , @David_Bostock , and @Keith_Bauer . Terry, this was handheld. This was taken on my “daily” walk around the neighborhood-tripod too heavy to carry around. Keith, thanks for the suggestions. I removed the yellow in the LRC; I don’t think its presence adds much to the sense of the environment, and I think it looks better without it. I went back to the RAW file and decreased the highlights and whites to where the histogram showed it was okay, but some off the whites were too overexposed to extract more detail. Overall, though I think it looks better. Also, ran more NR than I did originally.
