The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
I travelled down to Magee Marsh on Sunday morning to look for new migrants. Windy, cold with broken overcast eliminated an early warbler flight, so I headed East to the Ottawa Ntl. Wildlife Refuge, and the Metzger Marsh area. At Metzger Marsh, I found quite a few of the local trumpeter swans and caught this one testing out its wings. This one was a fair distance out so I was compelled to crop this for a suitable comp.
Specific Feedback
The whites are fairly bright and may need to be reduced. What do you think?
Technical Details
Z9 180-400mm f4 with TC engaged (560mm) (1/8000 sec at f6.3, ISO 2500) Denoise AI, Crop for Comp, Shadows & Highlights, Micro-contrast adjustment, Brightness & Contrast, Slight reduction in Exposure.
Critique Template
Use of the template is optional, but it can help spark ideas.
Jim, I am not familiar with Trumpeters so can’t really comment on the colour. But I sure love the pose the bird has given you.
I had a play and adjusted the white balance a little which made the image a little lighter, which I think worked well. I sliced a bit off the bottom and added a linear gradient which I also liked.
Nice catch on the flapping pose, Jim. Beautiful wing position. The whites look fine to me. I could see taking a touch off the bottom as @glennie suggests.
I love the orchestra conductor pose, which you have captured perfectly here! The brightest whites I can find sample between 240-245, and they look fine as well. Any darker and you start to endanger the lovely feather detail. I love the soft detail and tonalities in the water.
I might wonder about bringing the head and neck a notch or two lighter but that’s really an idle thought. Is the dark tone a seasonal thing or has he been playing in the mud? Our Mute Swans often have what I assume are just dirty heads and necks.
Thank you @glennie , @Allen_Sparks , @Dennis_Plank , @Peter_Morrissey , and @Diane_Miller for your comments and critiques. I agree that removing some from the bottom should work better for the comp. Trumpeter swans were almost hunted into extinction prior to and up to the 1930’s. However, the population has recovered enough with extensive management and transplanting founding populations where they are commonly observed in marshes and floodings in my area. They dabble like puddle ducks and the staining of the feathers is due to the presence of iron oxide in the bottom sediments of wetlands which stains the head and neck feathers when they feed…Jim
