The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
My guide, Helmut and I went out in the car during a showery afternoon and we caught this bird trying to dry out between showers. It was on a wire over the road and the only real shot was straight up.
Specific Feedback
I started going to a pure silhouette with this shot, but the position of the beak was ambivalent without the eye included, so I backed off enough to show the eye which also revealed a few highlights on the wire which I ended up liking. Any suggestions for improvement are appreciated.
Technical Details
Sony A1, FE 200-600 + 1.4 TC @ 840 mm, hand held, f/9, 1/800, iso 2500, manual exposure. Processed in LR & PS CC. Cropped to 6336x6208, converted to B&W using a Lights 3 luminosity mask, further adjustments in PS with a curves layer, then back to LR where I brought the shadows up enough to bring out the eye. Taken at 2:25 PM of a rainy February 19th.
Dennis, your image really stands out with its strong graphic style. I love how the bold contrasts and clean lines turn the bird’s silhouette into a striking piece of art. It’s so simple, yet it says so much, giving us the freedom to imagine the details. The balance between light and dark is spot on—it’s like nature meets modern art on a canvas. It’s just cool how a simple scene can look so dramatic and make you stop and take a second look.
Hi Dennis. A very striking image and I do enjoy its graphical nature. A good choice not to go with a straight silhouette.
Although I enjoy it as presented I do feel, given the highlights in the tail and head, that the mass of black body unbalances the image. May I suggest a slight teasing of highlights from the body. Perhaps it would also work as a square crop.
As always these are suggestions
Mark, I like your idea, but I think I have tho go back to the original and darken selectively to get that result. Not a big deal work wise as there wasn’t a lot of processing in this one.
