This was taken in San Diego where we found this relatively cooperative King Fisher fishing very close to shore. This was just after sunrise with a low tide making fishing easier for him. This shot is after a dive in the water with him returning to his perch with a small sand dab or something for his efforts. I’m posting two shots. One with a little bit of environment in the background and one with just clean water under him. I’m curious which one you prefer. They are similar but also quite different.
Type of Critique Requested
Aesthetic: Feedback on the overall visual appeal of the image, including its color, lighting, cropping, and composition.
Specific Feedback and Self-Critique
See above
Technical Details
D4s, 600mm with 1.4 converter, ISO 1600, 1/2500, f/5.6
Kingfishers are tough birds to photograph, so great job in getting this one. I’d go with the first as I like showing some environment rather than blue sky and I like the tail feather spread and seeing both wings. I do think, though, the detail is a bit better in the second.
I can’t really choose one over the other, they’re quite different as you say.
The top one does have the environment which is nice but the differences in motion is what I notice the most.
The top one looks like it has it’s brakes on (low tail feathers with the raised head) it appears to be slowing down, getting ready to land on it’s perch?
The bottom one looks like it’s full speed ahead going somewhere, in a hurry to get to it’s perch so it can get the baby flounder down the hatch so to speak.
The meal looks like a baby flounder to me but I could be wrong
Flounder have both eyes on one side of their head.
The underside is always white, while the top side is brown.
In Alaska, they call huge flounder “Halibut”, I wonder, do they have a special name for small flounder?
Well, David, as Mervin writes both images have their charm. At gunpoint I would prefer the first one, as it shows a bit more of the surroundings and think the wing position and the fanned tail a bit more attractive. Cheers, Hans
I agree with most everyone that, if forced to do so I would choose image #1 for the wing position, fan tail, and a bit clearer view of the catch. However, I would be mighty proud to call either image mine. Well done.
Oh wow, you’ve outdone yourself! What a great pair of photos. I will put my preference to #1 for the fact that the background is a bit more varies in color. Plus the wing and fish positions are pretty great. Super catches. I really need to get some of these babies in front of my lens. The river here is dirty with them.
Hi David
Looks like I am late to the party, I will also vote for the the first shot. The wings, tail feathers, eye contact and breakfast, just show off the King Fisher better. Great work on bother photographs.
Peter
Thanks for your opinions @Allen_Brooks , @Merv , @Hans_Overduin , @terryb , @Kris_Smith , @peter . It certainly seems like the first image is the better one. The first image is of him coming back to the perch on the upswing. The second image is right after he came out of the water and the blue is actually the water, not the sky. I agree that the first image has better head angle, wing position and view of the fish. Thanks for helping me out with this one. Always appreciated.
