When I first opened this up, I wondered if it was a severe crop because I was amazed at the lack of motion with that depth of field; it made sense when I read your Specific Feedback that it was a composite.
I do think it looks proportionate and I really like it. The bird looks great, it’s tack sharp, and the distant birds add quite a bit to the image. The rugged cliffs with the dusting of fog are a nice backdrop, and it comes together in black and white nicely.
Do you have an image with more room sky in the upper left? As is, the bird is a little lost in how busy the background is; it would be interesting to compare an image with the bird composited in with just the sky behind it.
I agree with @John_Williams critique and the only thing I’d add, is that I think slightly darker shadows might give this image some extra oomph, which is a technical photography term.
Hi Karl, I’m really enjoying the detail on the bird…great action portrait, and the composite fits well. I do like the ideas put forth by @John_Williams and @Bret_Edge where they suggest the bird needs to stand out more. Everything in the scene is rather high key. The rugged cliffs do suggest the kind of habitat he lives in.
I was skeptical about sharpening the kittiwake too much as it might look composited - what do you folks think now - I hope it doesnt “look” composited - defeats the purpose then
Nice. I like the ethereal appearance of the gull against the misted backdrop. I think both look good and have no particular preference for either, it works well in monochrome.
Hi Karl,
How have you been? This is a very nice composite. After toggling back and forth a few times I think my preference is for the rework as the gull seems a little more defined against the jagged sections of the mountain. To answer your question; yes I do think the gull is proportionate to the BG mountain. The couple of birds in the BG sky also work well in the scene. Beautifully done IMO.
