Critique Style Requested: Standard
The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
The piping plover is imperiled throughout much of its range, and I am fortunate to live very near several nesting beaches. They are sitting on eggs and/or hatching young now, but they are really pretty oblivious to my presence unless I come near a nest, which thankfully I cannot do since their nesting areas are fenced off and the nests protected with enclosures to keep predators out. For this photo, I hoped to find some contrasting vegetation, as so much of the time it is really sand on sand–they are well disguised. I liked how this bird was framed by grass on the left and surrounded by other green plants nearby.
Specific Feedback
Would you edit or crop this any more? I did remove some distracting bits of grass and I did crop it some.
Technical Details
Nikon D7500
Lens: 18.0-300.0 mm ƒ3.5-6.3
600 mm, ISO 100, f/9, 1/640 s
cleaned up distracting detritus and cropped a bit.
Nice job on the plover, Elizabeth. I do like the setting. Since this is nearby, the next time you’re there, if you could get a lower point of view it would help establish contact between the plover and the viewer. It’s really helpful if you can get the subject at eye level. If the situation requires you to shoot down at it, you can create an illusion that it’s higher by placing the subject higher in the frame (similarly, if you have to shoot up at a bird, placing it lower in the frame helps). Image quality looks very good and I like the processing.
Thank you so much, Dennis. Since they move so fast, being on the ground is tricky, but that’s a great challenge–I will try next time I go to the beach. This is very helpful feedback.
Elizabeth. This is a good look at this tiny (and well camouflaged) bird. The bits of green and having it come out from behind the grass are nice touches that add interest. I don’t think you need to get to eye level, especially with a bird this small. However, I would recommend sitting quietly on the ground where the birds hang out. (Hiding behind a tripod works well at such time). It may take at least a half hour, but they will accomodate (at least some of them will) to your presence and start going about their lives normally. That may let you get more shots like this. Another detail that is considered good when shooting wildlife is to get a highlight in their eye(s), which means paying attention to where the sun is.
