The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
Continuing to explore Avian photography, I captured this white pelican skimming across a nearby pond on the Adams County Fairgrounds in Colorado. The time of day was sunrise; a thin sceen of a algae bloom was on the surface of the lake. This was the best of the images of several images, I thought. I am developing my panning skills with my 180-600 mm lens mounted on a monopod.
Specific Feedback
On a recent critique, I had feedback on my crop decision. I decided on a 1x1 crop, the pelican was well into the image, therefore I thought the image behind the pelican was not worth keeping. I had a bit of extra area on the left side of the image, I wish I had more; decided not to use generative fill to add more area in front of the pelican.
Technical Details
Camera Nikon Z8, Lens Nikon NIKKOR Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR Lens. 1/1600 sec f/6.6 @ 600mm. Mounted on a monopod. Edited in LR/PS/Topaz AI
Critique Template
Use of the template is optional, but it can help spark ideas.
Nice sharpness and good reflection. A nice image overall however I could see some space all the way around the top image and at the bottom of the second image . It seems a little cramped to me.
A wonderful capture with a nice “pose” and good light, and a completely wonderful reflection. My taste would be for a little more detail in the darks but that’s just preference. (Or a slightly higher overall exposure if the highlight ahead of the wing could be tamed.) You have such nice motion here and plenty of canvas in the raw file – allowing more room for the bird to fly into is a common preference. Along with that, it often feels good to have about twice the room ahead of the bird as behind it, and if it were me, I would leave more room on both sides, but I do appreciate “portraits” that are more about showing the subject than its environment. The top and bottom feel nicely balanced if you don’t care to add canvas. Wonderful, whatever you decide!
A very artistic presentation. I would try to recover some of the details in the dark blacks and tweak down the very bright highlight on the bird’s shoulder area. The crop is fine, but I believe that the suggested crops other viewers suggested may actually strengthen the comp. The pose with reflection is well worth getting up early for the capture. Well done…Jim
Beautiful light and great wing position and reflections, Gary. Others have given you some excellent critiques. I had downloaded the original and cropped it similarly to the one @Sandy_Richards-Brown presented, so I won’t bother to put it here. I did take a little more off the right and top, but that’s pretty trivial. Square crops often work for static poses, but with all the implied forward motion of the pelican’s pose, I do prefer a rectangular crop.
Thank you all for your comments, they are very much appreciated. After a similar comment on another post I was expecting the comments I got on the crop, duly noted. Ironically, I entered the same image to another photography group for critique and they were not so concerned about the square crop. Different strokes for different folks…
Very nice shot. I like the great detail and wing position and the tighter crop gives the feeling of being at eye level. That said I agree a little more space in front of a bird in flight is a plus
Wonderful birds, in striking light. Well worth getting up early in the morning. I will keep this image in mind when I reach the Northern lakes of Greece in the beginning of 2026. They seem to have numbers of pelicans there, according to NPN magazine. Thank you for the inspiration.
