The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
This was taken in a heavily urban area in Southern California. I saw these egrets flying out of a dark wooded area from the opposite side of the lake. I like how the bright (too bright?) egrets turned out against the dark BG.
Specific Feedback
I thought about cropping the top edge off of the second shot here since it is a bit distracting, but decided to leave it to give some depth and context. Thank you Dennis, Ronald and Gill. I took your suggestions to heart and reworked the now second shot and rearranged the order in this post.
Technical Details
Both shots - Canon 5D MIII, f8, 1/1600 sec, iso 400, -0.3 exp bias, 560 mm (100-400/1.4 TC)
I prefer the second, Ed, partly for the pose and partly because the bird appears a bit sharper. If the pixels are available, I could see cropping the first so it’s just the reflected images of the birds, which I think would make a very good semi-abstract image.
Ed the second one is definitely my favorite it is truly a serene scene in black and white—those birds in flight against the still water is captivating. The way the light plays on their wings is great, and I love how their reflections ripple in the water, adding depth to the image. It’s got a real peaceful feel about it. Agree with Dennis a small amount of sharpening perhaps, but its minor. Nice work!
Hi Ed, I like all these images and am glad you added the reflection abstract that Dennis suggested. They are all keepers in my book. Nice that the two together seem to be both in good focus. Well done.
All very nice in their own right. I like the setting in the first shot. It has a painterly feel about it and a serene mood. Having two birds in the second is a nice bonus. I do find the area (bank?) at the top right a bit distracting and could see cropping or cloning it out. The abstract is very nice as well.
These are all very nice, and the reflections are totally cool!! My only nit is that I wonder if the bright whites in the first one could be recovered. Probably just mask it to the bird to keep from messing with the lovely tonalities in the BG.
Thank you @Diane_Miller, I tried to recover some of the highlights/whites when I was processing it. I will see if I can get more out of it. I need to work on figuring out how to use masks.
