The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
So I kayak the same places year after year and get to know what I’ll find there generally speaking. This Loon surprised the heck out of me yesterday in a couple ways. First, it heard me unloading the boat and made a big splash and furore, but I didn’t see what happened - I suspect it was on a small island and crashed back into the water. Not sure.
Second its being there in the first place. I’ve never seen (or heard) a Loon at this particular lake. It’s basically a big kettle bog and those aren’t known for high fish populations, so this might be just temporary. However I have seen a Bald Eagle pair at the nest on this lake. That species does rely on fish quite a bit, but not as completely as Loons so I don’t know about the quality of the fish source here. Breeding last year seems to have failed for the Eagles, and I didn’t see or hear them at all yesterday. This time of year the babies are fledging and when they do they usually yell their heads off all the time and are quite noticeable. If this is no longer an active nest, the Loon may feel secure here and who knows, might have a mate in the coming years if it returns. It will be fun to see what unfolds.
Specific Feedback
I was able to get reasonably close without spooking it and have a ton of photos, but I liked this one for the head position. The usual Loon portrait has it facing away from the body and I have many of those, but this is different and I like it for that and how it adds to my collection of Loon photos. Does the pose work for you? Would you prefer a traditional pose? How do you select which images to work on and display? Are you a traditionalist or do you like something out of the ordinary? I have crazy preening shots, also, but those look too weird. Should I post those?
Technical Details
Handheld in the kayak (with calm winds for once!) and CPL
Lr processed for a crop to remove the far shoreline from the background and improve overall tonalities. Looks like I neither clipped whites or blacks so hooray, but I did have to manage both to get the right amount of contrast. Used masks to further enhance the bird and the background to be less bright/distracting. Topaz Sharpen AI to improve detail and reduce noise. Distraction removal in Lr and a bit more tonal massage.
Critique Template
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Oh and a bit of an interesting thing about this encounter. I didn’t plan for it at all. Like with my Kingfisher moment last week, I originally set out to paddle another lake entirely. It’s the headwaters of the Prairie river and I have wanted to kayak there for years, but the universe keeps saying no. The other day it was because I found an injured Pine Warbler that I brought to my wildlife rehab peeps and yesterday because I ran into a major logging operation on the way to the lake. That’s exactly what stopped me the first time I tried paddling the headwaters in 2019. It’s county forest land and those are managed to produce timber crops that are revenue streams for each county.
So I still haven’t paddled the lake that I want to include in my Prairie River project and I might not be able to for years. Getting in the way of loggers is something you really don’t want to do and so I respectfully don’t make a nuisance of myself. Even though I was so close to the headwaters, I bailed, but each time I did my Plan Bs worked out so wonderfully that the disappointment was minimal. A young Kingfisher and today a surprise Loon. Funny how things work out sometimes.
Excellent – and a great backstory! I love the over-the-shoulder pose, as I think most people do, especially bird photographers. The BG is lovely and nicely subdued without feeling worked. I love the way the reflection almost merges into the body at the top and then falls off – it is rare to see one this pleasing. And of course the loon is gorgeous – we only have rather plain varieties out here. I’d love to see as many as you can post!!
Excellent image, Kris, and your background is interesting. It’s hard to say whether it will stay and find a mate on that lake. I’ve read accounts from photographers in Scotland (where they’re called Northern Divers) of them being on pretty small bodies of water, but I have no idea what the fishing was like. We only have a few lakes in Washington that have loons and I haven’t gotten situated to spend time at one yet-it’s on the proverbial list.
As for poses, it’s all about the composition. By the way, I love preening images, particularly if you can catch an eye peeking out.
Really fine image! I hope he/she stays at your lake and finds a mate and makes babies!
I like the pose a lot, and the image is nicely processed. You could go with a tighter crop, if that is what you wanted.
Really nice low level look at the loon. I like the backwards head turn as well. In my images of loons, I’ve always been bothered by the bright, white chest; but this may just be the nature of the beast.
This is such a peaceful image Kris. I do like the over the shoulder pose. That green water is awesome. Way to punt on the lake that didn’t work for you. Fun story.
A fine image Kris. Love the green water to set off this beauty. Nice backwards glance from the bird. Exposure looks good. Great you were able to go to Plan B and have it work out so well.
Thanks @SandyR-B, @Diane_Miller, @Dennis_Plank, @Allen_Brooks, @Ed_Williams & @Allen_Sparks - who does’t love a Loon? They’re such special birds. Watched one from the dock yesterday for a while. It never came close enough for photos, but just having them around is cool. Glad the pose is engaging for you guys…I rather like the floofy back end, too. Got lucky with the light most of the time and the tree reflections in the water look decent, too. The other shots I have of this bird are more traditional and I’ll put them up shortly (tighter crops on those as I think I was even closer). Also will see about preening poses to see if any work.
Oh and the undersides of Loons are very bright white and that does extend up the chest and neck a bit. As you may already know, it’s an adaptation for many swimming creatures to have dark above and light below (think Great White Sharks) so they are harder to spot from both directions. The other adaptation for Loons is the checkered back which makes one VERY hard to see in choppy water. Since they spend winters on the ocean it makes a lot of sense, but even here when the wind gets blowing on the river, I lose sight of them really quickly even though they are right in front of me.
