Hawthorn

Critique Style Requested: Standard

The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.

Description

The Cedar Waxwings are back at this tree where I have photographed them in the past, but today the light was very low with heavy fog and I wasn’t happy with what I could get of the birds, and I did a few shots of the berries that were more to my liking.

Specific Feedback

All comments welcome! If I had been thinking I would have cranked down the ISO as I was on a tripod, and maybe tried for more DOF. There was a lot of noise but it tamed well enough.

Technical Details

Screenshot 2025-11-25 at 3.42.27 PM

A darker smudge in the LL was tamed with a mask and Curves, and the OOF berries were lightened a little with a 30% clone brush. Cropped from both sides.


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Vision and Purpose:
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Diane: I like your comp and for me your DOF choice works well. I do like the OOF berries and think they are a nice complement. Great find and a fine result. >=))>

Diane, a fine image here. My immediate thought was to eliminate the BG berries. However, it actually works as presented as almost an “echo” of the FG group…very nice indeed… :+1: :smiling_face_with_sunglasses:

A very nice composition, Diane. I like the faint background cluster as it adds some depth to the image.

Diane Hi. Simple and it looks like water drops on the berries. I LOVE that. Caught my eye. Curious in B&W.

I’m sure you’ll catch the waxwings how you want them! But this is a lovely image showing the berries, and those three leaves are the icing. I like the OOF berries in the BG. I’m loving that BG with the OOF smudges of pinks. I wonder were they painted? And, then you have those little dew/fog drops and spider webs! It’s a wonderful image to explore even without the birds.

Thanks @Bill_Fach, @Paul_Breitkreuz, @Dennis_Plank, @Gill_Vanderlip and @Glenys_Passier! Gill, interesting idea – posted above. Glennie, the pink smudges are berry clusters well in the back.

I went back today and got a few more birds and did a focus stack on the berries although I missed exactly the same angle. Will post it when I have time to play with it.

A pleasing composition, Diane. Has a painterly feel to it. I’m obviously in the minority, but I think the painterly feel would come through more without the background berries. This would look nice framed.

OOF echo for the win! I like it. I had to sit with it for a few until it felt cohesive in my brain, but now I have it does. I like the lichens and the great tie that makes being between the red and the yellow on the color wheel. The BG is a tad gray, but it probably was and moving to much lighter could change the mood. As is it feels like the winding down it is.

Thanks, @Allen_Brooks and @Kris_Smith! I’ve shot the same branch two subsequent times when I was stalking the birds and never managed to get the same relationship with the branch behind, and the light was a little different. This one is still my favorite.