Saw these grebes recently at a local park on separate days. They usually keep their distance from me but these two were close enough to photograph ( for a brief moment anyway).
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 rarely see grebe catch fish so I was pleased that this first one surfaced near me with a catch. The bird is angled slightly away from the camera which is not ideal but I’m thinking seeing the fish straight on makes up for this somewhat. Any thoughts on this?
The second image was on a sunny, calm morning which allowed for a nice reflection of the bird as he/she swam away from shore.
Technical Details
First image:
Canon R7, 400mm f4 DO IS II, 1.4x extender III
ISO 640, f6.3, 1/1600s, hand held
Second image:
Canon R7, Sigma 150-600 Contemporary
ISO 640, f7.1, 1/2500s, hand held
Grebes are my nemesis! I’ll say they keep their distance. Even in a kayak, trying to be sneaky (well as much as I can in a red, 12-foot boat), they take off as soon as I realize they’re there. But they’re so cute I keep trying.
The shot with the fish is a great catch. I wish it had turned more toward you, but we wish birds do a lot of things. At least the poor fish is facing you - just look at that open mouth! The agony. The back of the bird looks very slightly sharper than the eyes, but only just. To put more emphasis on the fish, you could go in and raise the exposure there a bit and also add some clarity or texture there as well.
The blue reflected sky shot is just so darn cute. With a face like that it’s hard to believe they are the fierce little hunters in the first shot. I think the exposure is good and the light terrific. The reflection itself is nearly perfect, too. I just wish there was more of the trailing wake leading out of the photo rather than being cut off. With very little else besides the bird in the frame, I think it would help show more of the locomotion you caught here. Does that make sense? Oh and is there any way to get lower down? I know there sometimes isn’t, but I thought I’d ask.
Both are wonderful! I think you could bring out the fish a bit more using a small soft brush to do a quick mask and then a masked curve, just on the mouth/head.
The second is stunning with the great reflection, but I do want to see more of the wake. That is always such a frustration for composition, as you do want to leave them room to move into. A pano composition works for me in cases like that.
I think Grebes are my favorite waterfowl. The always seem to be smiling at me.
I like both images, Allen. The first has the context, action, and drama. The second one has that smiling, know it all look. I also like the catchlight in the second one.
Hi Allen
I don’t think I have ever seen a Pied-billed Grebe before. Both photographs are sharp and anytime you can have the bird with a fish is a plus. The second shot’s reflection and eye contact are a plus. I hope you do not mind, I brought your first shot into DXO Photo Lab and use a reflector in the Nix Color Efex Pro 5 collection to add little light to the Grebe head.
Peter
Both images are excellent, Allen. I think the angle in the first one works, but the shadow on the upper half of the face feels a bit odd to me-I think the fish is blocking some reflected light which is too bad because they have cool looking eyes. You had beautiful conditions for the reflection in the second shot.
