Morning feeding

Image Critiques Avian Critiques
1

462A2496v1-SharpenAI-focus.jpeg
462A2496v1-SharpenAI-focus.jpeg1503×1009 2.09 MB

Critique Style Requested: Standard

The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.

Description

I had been watching a merlin nest for a few days for about an hour a day. On this day i arrived at the site at 7am and within minutes the adults showed up and one started feeding the chick. I could not see the chick, only the adult as it bent to feed the young one. I was excited to watch and photograph this behavior at it meant the parents were still caring for the young one. Nesting in Illinois is a rare happening for merlin.

Specific Feedback

Does the chick not being in the photo too negative? The nest is high in a very tall pine.
This is a large crop, how is the sharpness?

Technical Details

Canon R7, Canon RF 200-800mm @ 800mm.
1/000 @ F-10 ISO 4000
Car as a blind, Hand held.

Critique Template

Use of the template is optional, but it can help spark ideas.

  • Vision and Purpose:
  • Conceptual:
  • Emotional Impact and Mood:
  • Composition:
  • Balance and Visual Weight:
  • Depth and Dimension:
  • Color:
  • Lighting:
  • Processing:
  • Technical:
2

While the hidden youngster isn’t ideal, John,it’s not a deal breaker. The image could stand to be sharper. Hand holding at a steep angle can be really difficult. If you can rig some kind of camera support in your car and raise the window to add some additional support it might help. Also, I don’t know how Canon is doing it, but most mirrorless cameras have a “focus peaking” function in manual focus mode that highlights the parts in focus. If you can combine that with some extra support for the camera, you might be able to up the image quality. It’s worth a try. Hopefully, they’ll be successful with the chick(s) and they’ll soon be large enough to show.

3

Thanks for your comments. I have tried using the window as a brace, not sure if I did with this photo or not. I have one more photo from today I will post in a couple days. Will look forward to seeing your comments on it.

John Tobias

4

Hi John, nice catch at a tough angle. The focus seems to be on the bird okay but the image seems to be affected by the large crop thus the sharpness is a bit lacking. Still, seeing and photographing a merlin in it’s nest is quite special. Very interesting image and good look at the merlin.

5

Thank you for your comments, I will be posting one more photo from this shoot in a day or two. I think you will enjoy it.
Jojn Tobias