Looking for something to eat. - Update

I was at the Salton Sea yesterday and sat right on the shores edge waiting for this little bird to come closer. The winds were blowing hard which made it interesting to try and photograph.

Type of Critique Requested

  • Aesthetic: Feedback on the overall visual appeal of the image, including its color, lighting, cropping, and composition.
  • Conceptual: Feedback on the message and story conveyed by the image.
  • Technical: Feedback on the technical aspects of the image, such as exposure, color, focus and reproduction of colors and details, post-processing, and print quality.

Specific Feedback and Self-Critique

I wanted to take out the OOF area in the lower left corner, but I did not want to lose the water. Cloning that out will be more difficult because of the reflection in the water. Does it look ok there?
Not sure what bird this is, don’t have my bird book with me.

Technical Details

R7 RF 100-400 w/1.4x extender. 560mm 1/1600 f/16 ISO 1600. HH.

Updated:

3 Likes

A nice look at the bird and I like how it blends in with its environment. I could see a crop from the left, if there is some more room on the right to de-center the bird and remove some of the LLC. The rock there does draw the eye a bit; perhaps darken it? I ran the bird through Merlin and Merlin came up with Spotted Sandpiper.

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Thank you for the feedback, @Allen_Brooks. @Merv also sent me a message with a edit which I liked. I did take some from the left side but added to the right side. Did a few other things to help bring the bird out, and took out the OOF area that was in the lower left.

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You made the changes I was about to suggest in your repost, Dean. A very nice image of this bird and the Salton Sea shoreline environment still comes across.

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Dean your repost works very well. An excellent image.

Hi Dean,

The edit looks great!!

The Salton Sea is a place to remember, I was there more than 30 years ago but I remember it as though it were only 20 years ago :slight_smile:

That whole area has an undescribable odor, especially with the huge cabbage fields. That rotten cabbage is something else!!

Like others, I think your image shows the essence of Salton Sea very well.

BTW, your edit looks much better than my example edit!!

Love the low angle this was shot from!

Thanks, Dean

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