The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)
A pair of geese were meandering around the lake when another pair swooped in. The two males took an instant disliking to one another and the fight began.
With all the splashing water, please look at the larger size to see the detail.
Specific Feedback
It is kinda hard to get an idea of what’s going on and all the detail in the smaller image. Does this work as an action shot? Both heads are in pretty sharp focus.
Technical Details
Nikon Z8, 800mm, 1/1600sec @ f/6.3, ISO 4000
Processed with DXO Photolab and Capture One.
Critique Template
Use of the template is optional, but it can help spark ideas.
Having spent a fair amount of time around these somewhat ornery critters, it’s clear to me what’s happening. Good sharpness throughout and a confined area of interest makes it work despite the huge splash they are making. The position of the foot on the bird with the open beak is pretty nice and I like the varying wing positions of the combatants. Maybe a touch with the dehaze slider could help bring up some clarity here…just an idea. Colors look balanced and the background is nice and clear. Good catch!
I’ve seen this behavior at our local pond up the road a piece from you, David. They are very territorial. You caught a great moment here with the beak and the raised foot, and the splash really conveys the action. I could see dsomething like a touch of dehaze or a minor curves adjustment as @Kris_Smith mentioned, but it would have to be very minor.
All morning…starting when it was still dark…I could hear lots of goose and swan ruckus out on the water in back. They mostly stay far from our bit of shoreline unfortunately for photo potential, but darn are they loud.
Excellent interaction here, David. You got a really nice angle to see the faces and foot, and expressions. Good choice of SS to render the water drops sharp.
These territorial disputes are great fun to watch.
Fine image!
Hi Peter, thanks for the comments. I appreciate them.
I use Photolab as the first step in denoise and sharpening, converting the raw file to .dng and then importing into Capture One. I tried PureRaw, but Photolab provides more control over the levels of denoise and sharpening.
Hi David and wow - some great interaction you have captured. The poses are great - love seeing the tongue of the bird in back and the foot of the bird in front. All the water splashes really convey the force of the action. Revised post looks great.
Super cool capture These things look dangerous. All looks optimal but one trick I would try – the faces, especially of the one on the left, are a bit lost in the melee. I wonder about carefully removing some of the water droplets in front of the faces.
