Great Blue Heron on a Winter's Morn

Image Critiques Avian Critiques
1

Great Blue Heron on a Winter's Morn
Great Blue Heron on a Winter's Morn3052×2035 1.74 MB

I went out this morning to get some shots of the freshly fallen snow, and ended up getting this guy instead. I got a few shots of him. He was closest in this one, so it looks a bit better than the rest. (Even so, this is extensively cropped.) Right after this shot, he flew away.

In response to feedback, and my initial inclination, I changed the crop just a bit. Do think it is enough? I also did this edit in Lightroom, so it wouldn’t change the edits in Luminar Neo. Personally, I look these colors more. Do you agree?

20230127-DSC_0186-2
20230127-DSC_0186-23128×2085 1.14 MB
### Type of Critique Requested

  • Aesthetic: Feedback on the overall visual appeal of the image, including its color, lighting, cropping, and composition.
  • Technical: Feedback on the technical aspects of the image, such as exposure, color, focus and reproduction of colors and details, post-processing, and print quality.

Specific Feedback and Self-Critique

My biggest concern is that the Heron may be too far into the frame. I would normally like to have more room on the right side of the frame, but the shore isn’t anywhere near as nice as the water, so I am hesitant to leave it in. I could also crop in from the left side, but I don’t want to cut off the nice ripples on that side either.

Technical Details

1/80, f/4, 320 ISO on a Nikon Z7ii with a 24-120mm f/4 lens

1 Like
2

Hi Matthew. In this case, I would definitely add some canvas on the right. To my eye, it looks like the heron is looking slightly outside the frame and I think it would be more effective if it weren’t. I understand about not cutting off neat ripples-I always agonize over that one myself.

You got excellent detail in the heron even for a large crop.

3

Excellent detail of this bird. Nicely done. Having more space to the right would be good as Dennis posted.

4

I like the re-post with more room on the right. I think the darker water in the re-post works better, but I wonder if the heron should be a bit brighter and how that would look against the darker water.

5

20230127-DSC_0186-5
20230127-DSC_0186-53128×2085 1.05 MB

Done. I increased the exposure on the bird and his reflection the same amount. I like the bird, but do you think it might be too much on the reflection?

6

Looks good to me.

1 Like