Please share your immediate response to the image before reading the photographer’s intent (obscured text below) or other comments. The photographer seeks a genuinely unbiased first impression.
Questions to guide your feedback
Initial reaction? I’m still practicing this sport at my local bird refuge.
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:
Processing:
Technical:
To be honest, my first reaction was that the heron was copied into the scene, that this was a composite of some sort. Probably not, though. The heron has some nice light on it and the detail is quite good, but I think it needs to blend in more with the environment.
I see what @Allen_Brooks is referencing, but it doesn’t look like a composite to me. I like this image, especially the light on the heron and the lack of light on the background. It has a bit of a use of a flash look. Is this full frame?
I like the pose the heron has given you, Landing gear down and outstretched wings. I like the background with its muted colours. The colours of both bird and background match quite well, but feel the overall brightness of the bird is just a little too much. I do like the direction in which the image is going.
Bird photography requires patience and persistance. It’s a great sport. I look forward to seeing more.
HI Jeffrey. I like what you did to the background on this image, and the pose of the heron. I tend to agree with some others that the large difference in brightness between the bird and the background gives it a bit of an unreal appearance, whether or not it really was. I can certainly envision lighting that would produce this kind of contrast, but the impression I get as a viewer is that there are two completely unrelated lighting situations. Like Glennie, I do like the direction you’re going with this image and think just a bit of tweaking could create something really special.
Thank you all for the kind and helpful comments. No flash used. There is an area at my local bird refuge where, in the morning, my view faces a tall embankment of mostly trees and shrubs while the sun is rising from behind, reaching my subject but not the background. It’s like studio lighting outdoors. This provides excellent backlighting opportunities with a dark background, especially with a bit of coastal fog still hangin around for diffusion. The angle of the light to the subject varies as I change position and throughout the morning. My images from there make the subject stand out considerably against the background, which I like. I have to be careful to prevent the fake look!
Hi Jeffrey, I have a similar situation at my neighborhood lake. Light hitting the water/subjects but the rest of the scene is in shadows. It can make for some pretty dramatic and unique lighting. I consider it just another interesting take on nature. I’m wondering if this was a large crop. Some of the details in the bird seem fairly soft.
Hi Jeffrey
For me, this is the Ad photo. There is room for the header and ad information in the lower left. As for a standalone nature photograph, I would lower the lighting on the Heron, just a bit.
Nice work.
Peter
Capturing a heron moving from a still poised pose lifting off into flight is a magical moment. Well done! Balancing the contrasting light and dark to emphasize the magic. At first, I concur, the image struck me as quite painterly. (always a stylistic tendency or preference.) I wondered how much was altered , but I did sense the fog the greyish tones layered over the brown marshy shrub background. I recognized and felt the environment you were in and it seeped in as “real” the more I looked at the image. Aviary seems to be evolving as a focal point in my photography on my walks, and I experience the same struggle when reviewing and making “alterations” - of balancing seeing, and getting nature just as it is (without over manipulating to a point of illusive perfection.) All part of the engagement in the whole process, the craft, while simply being a guest in another creature’s sanctuary. Thank you for sharing the heron magic:folded_hands:t3:
