Critique Style Requested: In-depth
The photographer has shared comprehensive information about their intent and creative vision for this image. Please examine the details and offer feedback on how they can most effectively realize their vision.
Self Critique
I like the view of the male’s wing and a good look at the eyes of both of them. The weathered branch was a big bonus. I would have liked a faster shutter speed, but I was battling ISO and shutter speed in a low light situation.
Creative direction
I wanted a clear shot of both the male and female. After a few minutes, with the birds in various positions, I managed to get both facing me with a good look at their eyes.
Specific Feedback
This is not as sharp as I would have liked. More light would have provided better image quality, but we deal with want we have. I was just thankful to get something of these beautiful birds in this amazing interaction.
Technical Details
The light level was pretty low, so I had to balance ISO and shutter speed. A higher shutter speed would have worked better, but I just didn’t have the light. The 7D is notoriously bad at high ISO’s so I didn’t want to use a higher ISO.
Canon 7D
Canon 200-400
ISO 320
f/4.0
1/400 sec
Description
The Mississippi Kite is fairly common around Fort Worth. They are easily seen flying over neighborhoods hunting flying insects, especially cicadas. This image was taken on the shores of Lake Worth. I was at the right place at the right time to catch this breeding activity.
Excellent look at the pair, Jerry; love those eyes. I like the high key look. Interesting perch and I like how you captured the wing spread.
Excellent image. The wings spread of the kite on the top is a superb. These birds don’t make it up to my neck of the woods in the Pacific Northwest. But fortunately, I was able to see some in the photograph some in Costa Rica several years ago. The wing colors of the top bird really set off the high key image well. I might consider removing the stick on the far left of the image as it pulls my eye away from the birds.
My first thought was…
The female is thinking: ‘Hurry up! People are watching!’
This is excellent, Jerry. I love the high-key look and the wing spread of the male. I agree wit @David_Schoen regarding the stick. Wonderful detail!
-P
Hi Jerry, details look good to me and it seems you handled the low light well in this situation. I’m not sure how well the 7D works with the latest noise reduction applications but I’d suggest checking it out. DXO PureRaw works wonders for me with the R7. ISO 320 seems low even for the 7D. Noise reduction in Photoshop would also be something to try.
Nice behavioral image and I like the high key look.
I think I remember that you had a huge influx of these birds when you lived in that area, Jerry. I agree that at that time, pushing the 7D wouldn’t be a good idea, though I’ve reprocessed some files from that camera and the 7Dii that I used for along time and did push more and the new software made a huge difference. This is a fine image and the minor softness works with this species quite nicely.
Excellent image.
Wonderful, and quite sharp enough for me! I often shoot in flat, low light too and find a touch of Clarity (if you use LR or ACR – and probably in other converters) can give a nice midtone contrast punch. Looks like the noise was handled well. I’m now regarding the denoise feature in LR as just about perfect – I think it’s better than Topaz now.
I’ll have to dig up some old 7DII images and have a look at it there. Probably easy to find some underexposed ones, to boot.
This looks pretty good as presented. Eyes are sharp and the subjects are sharp enough for me. I am especially fond of the reddish color in the wings of the male. The branch as is adds some essential texture to the comp. Well done…Jim
