The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
I am a great admirer of Eric Malm. So I thought of giving it a try when I saw a flock of gulls going for (I think) shrimps in shallow water. Then I saw the webinar on illusions by Jiri Hrebicek. The pictures were taken at the end of the day on one of the Dutch islands lining its Western coast. The sea was receding between the island and the continent.
Specific Feedback
Please comment on composition. Cropping for more ‘interesting’ pictures is tempting. As is increasing contrast and saturation for more vividness. Have I gone too far in your eyes?
The webinar confirms that the sky is the limit with this kind of photography. But I am concerned that it might make me lazy. Do you confirm?
Technical Details
Canon EOS R6 ƒ/22 1/20 or1/25 800 mm 100 ISO for the first 3 pictures
Canon EOS R6 ƒ/32 1/10 800 mm 100 ISO for the last one
Apart from panning, I tried to keep the camera as still as possible, but the strong wind was shaking my long lens even more than I really wanted.
Critique Template
Use of the template is optional, but it can help spark ideas.
Vision and Purpose:
Conceptual:
Emotional Impact and Mood:
Composition:
Balance and Visual Weight:
Depth and Dimension:
Color:
Lighting:
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Technical:
Thanks for this series Xavier – gives me ideas about my next bird outing. We’ve all seen ahots with bird sharp, background blurred, conveying motion, but to blur both is a cool idea. As with shooting moving water, experimentation will reveal the best camera settings. I think I like the idea of a blurred flock shot with at least one in focus. But catching a moving bird with just the right shutter to make an artistic abstract of subject and background is an even better objective. I’ll give it a try on the Brown Pelicans, Cormorants and Terns in La Jolla.
Hi Xavier,
nice, creative images showing us the different possibilities in portraying birds in flight. I like them all with the first and last being my favorites. The rather ghostly birds show an artistic representation that I find interesting and inspiring. The vividness looks fine to me.
Hi Xavier. The first one is my favorite. There’s a great sense of motion and the head of one is pretty sharp. The last one is pretty neat for its abstract nature.
I really like these. I’m not a bird photographer, and I lean more toward landscape and abstract photography, but these are really captivating.
My favorites are the first and last of the set:
The first because it is still clear what we are seeing and the colors and arrangement feel intentional.
I like the last one because it is soo abstract and almost looks like a double exposure.
For me, the black and white doesn’t add much and takes away from the sea-palette. In addition, the gulls in those middle frames are a bit too chaotic? It’s hard to find a place for the eye to settle in and explore. You could crop out that bottom left gull and get that frame a bit more pleasingly composed.
Interesting motion blurs, Xavier. My favorite is the last in the series. The first two feel more contrasty than I feel works with motion blur creating a disconnect between the soft feeling created by the blur and the hard feeling created by the contrast, which may be what you intended. The four birds on a diagonal in the B&W work really well for me, but the two in the rear don’t feel like they help the scene-just my taste. I also think a touch more room on the top and left would be nice in that image.
