The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
It was a very overcast day, late afternoon, with not a lot of activity until I came upon this Great Blue Heron preening in a tree along the canal. He allowed a close approach for an extended period and, at times, seemed to be posing.
I bet this guy was really fun to watch. They are so entertaining, but especially in a tree. I really like the pose and the frame the tree branch makes. The shadows look open, but not too much and bravo for not blowing out the head…something I’ve been guilty of more than once. The greens in the bg seem a trifle saturated to me as does the blue coloring of the bird itself. My experience of them is that they are more dusky than this. Should be easy fixes if you have a mind. What a treat to see one so spiffed up!
This proud bird knows how to pose for a portrait. Marvelous capture and composition. I agree with @Kris_Smith about the background being over saturated. Lovely image. Welcome to NPN.
I love the perch and pose, John. The composition works nicely, though I think a slightly looser version might be more to my taste-it feels just a little cramped on top. I’m not sure about the greens. It depends on what the plants were. Spring foliage can get awful green.
quote=“Kristen M Smith, post:2, topic:35351, username:_Kris”]
…se and the frame the tree branch makes. The shadows look open, but not too much and bravo for not blowing out the head…something I’ve been guilty of more than once. The greens in the bg seem a trifle saturated to me as does the blue coloring of the bird itself. My experience of them is that they are more dusky than this. Should be easy fixes if you have a mind. What a treat to see one so spiffed up!
[/quote]
Thanks Kristen. I can’t tell you how many versions I have of this frame trying to balance the color. I agree with you about their coloring but I think the blue in the bird is somewhat variable depending on the light. Given the overcast day, it was definitely more muted. I did pop the greens to enhance the dull lighting. Thanks again. Joh
Wonderful pose, sharpness and tonalities. The BG color may be true in some sense but it competes a bit with the bird and I would tone it down a bit. I wonder if a Vibrance adjustment may have gone a bit too far?
Thanks Diane for your critique. Yes, I thought it was a bit dull due to the neutral camera profile and flat lighting so I made late saturation adjustment to background and bird separately using LR masks. So many times I look at a file after editing and say does it need just a little more pop. In a lot of cases, not really. I’ve got multiple versions of this file. I’m going to revisit. Thanks again. John
If you’re a LR user, it pays to try the various profiles available. The newest Adobe Color has become my default choice. But I leave the camera in a more neutral one that allows the histogram and display to be a little more accurate for exposure of the whites. None of them are truly accurate all the time.
Thanks Diane. Yes, I’m a LR user and do check the different profiles. I’ve been matching to my camera profile which I’ve got set to neutral to - hopefully - get what is closest to what I see in the field. It is a pretty flat file though and may lead to over compensating. John
Hi John
Well I am going against the comments on background and the Heron’s blue saturation. I like the rich green background and Blues coloring looks correct (nice white feathers on theGreat Blues’s crown).
I guess this is what make this a Critiques section.
Peter
Thank you Peter for weighing in. I appreciate your feedback. I’m afraid it’s a bit subjective. I like the green as is, but think the dark blue might be off just a little. Thanks again. John
No problem at all sticking to your original ideas and vision for an image, John. We all have an aesthetic sense that drives us and none of us are the same. The nice thing is that on NPN, we don’t come to blows over it, if you know what I mean. Suggestions are made and taken on board or not, it’s all part of the give an take.
