Original
Another image from the frame before that has no weeds along bottom
This image was taken a couple of months ago in my nearby nature preserve before most of the birds flew north for the summer. Taken just before sunset along the shoreline of a small lake with reeds in the foreground and background.
Specific Feedback Requested
Does the intrusion of the OOF grasses in the bottom of the frame bother or distract you? I have a tighter version but I rather like the depth that these grasses poking into the scene give off. Thoughts?
Technical Details
z7ii, 600mm f/4 lens, ISO 1000, F/6.3, 1/1200
2 Likes
The warm color on this image is quite pleasing. Well composed. Looks like a northern harrier . I do think you could blur out the reeds at the bottom of the image without losing much. You could just use the healing brush tool and sample from the bottom right green area. Should be a pretty easy fix.
David: Really nice capture. Getting a Grey Ghost in the viewfinder is a nice treat. I usually get about 100 to 1, females to males.
I like the light an the nice soft OOF background. I do find the OOF grasses a bit distracting. I do understand the depth that you alluded to, but for me, I’d clone them out.
Beautiful, David. I never seem to get these nicely side-on like this. Another vote for removing the grasses. I think you get almost the same depth from the green at the bottom of the frame, so I’d clone from the green area on the bottom right.
@David_Schoen, @Keith_Bauer, @Dennis_Plank
Thanks very much for your comments and suggestions. Everyone seems to prefer that I remove the OOF reeds poking up into the scene. I certainly get it. The capture right before this one has no reeds sticking up into the frame so I guess I should stick with that one. You’ve basically answered my one concern about this image.
Keith, I see about the same ratio of females to males here as well. They are very uncommon. Not sure why either. Anyway, I’ve attached the image of the frame just before this one with no clutter at the bottom. Cheers!
Really nice capture with a soft background and nice look at the bird in profile. Well done.
I agree with the above but am wondering if you had been a bit lower and gotten more of the weeds in focus how that would have accentuated the environment. Then, not a distraction but added to the picture. Still, a great picture.
@Allen_Sparks, @Charlie_Chaffee
Thank you both for your comments. Allen, I’m glad you lied this one. Thanks for taking a look and giving me your thoughts. Charlie, I totally agree. I’ll be posting a female Harrier in the exact conditions you suggested. She’s actually flying behind the reeds and you see glimpses of her through the reeds. I’ll post that this week sometime. I Iike your thinking. 
