Critique Style Requested: Standard
The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Bright, overcast day. I was perhaps 200-300 feet above merganser.
Too bright? Bird centered? Added brightness, saturation to head-too much?
7DMKII; 100/400 at 400; 5.6; 1/100th; 1600 ISO.
Jim, it took a bit to figure out what the red was. This is an exciting angle. I do find the large expanse of white overwhelming. The head saturation would be an excellent addition if the remainder of the bird had color. I assume this is a Common Merganser, so the back will be gray. I can’t help but feel that the bird is swimming through some thick milk. Just a suggestion of color in the water would help anchor the bird. I could see using some color just around the bird and then fading it out to the edges of the frame.
Barbara, Thank you. Your suggestions are excellent. I wasn’t sure about posting it, but did so to get other opinions. I went from not worth posting to “maybe it is” to “do it and see what others think.” I did. I’ll probably move on from this one. Thanks, again. Jim
Jim, the textures in the bird’s wake work very well at leading the eyes to the bird and telling the story. I do think that less white space at the top would be good, turning this into a pano. While it may not fit what you’re trying to do, I wonder about a bit of burning-in on the bird’s back, for just a bit more texture, would look like. This is also a good high-key/minimalist view.
