Edited version (thanks @Dennis_Plank)
Original
Critique Style Requested: Standard
The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
I felt lucky to somehow spot this grouse in thick brush, as he didn’t rustle a feather when I hiked by in the remote Nabesna Road region of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park as part of my summer-long Alaska road trip.
Specific Feedback
All comments appreciated, thank you. Specific question: What do you think of the out-of-focus branches in front of and behind the grouse? Is it too busy?
Technical Details
Canon R5 + RF 100-500 @ 270 mm
1/640 s, f/5.6, ISO 1600
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2 Likes
It doesn’t feel too busy to me, Cathy. Yes there are a lot of branches, and I’d rather not have the out of focus branches in front of the bird, but it does show the habitat nicely. You might consider a different crop as the bird is dead center in this composition and that usually works best if the bird is facing you. With the bird facing to the side, it’s usually best to give it a bit more room in the direction it’s facing and less behind it. If you do cloning or removal,I’d also get rid of that bright squiggle of something right behind the bird. Perhaps something like this:
P.S. I really like that line of dead leaves in front of the grouse-I think it adds a lot.
Thanks for the suggestions Dennis! Your crop is way better than mine. I’ll try that. But I’m not sure what squiggle behind the bird you are referring to…?
Great find, Cathy. A nice habitat shot showing how well the grouse blends in with its surroundings. The detail is excellent and I like the red around the eye. Agree with Dennis about the leaves-it’s a nice counterpoint to the grouse-and his crop.
Hi Cathy:
Here’s your original with the “squiggle” circled in red:
As the bird looks like it would like to be hiding, I think the OOF branches work. There is enough of the bird in sharp detail that we can mentally fill in the lost details. I like @Dennis_Plank’s crop.
1 Like
Thank you @Dennis_Plank @Allen_Brooks @Diane_Miller for your comments! And thanks for pointing out the squiggle, Dennis. Funny I didn’t see it, as I had removed it in another version --apparently I posted the wrong version originally.
Please someone tell me that I will eventually come up with a good system for seemlessly organizing and keeping track of different edits. It’s getting better now that I’m stacking all versions of a scene and then adding numbered virtual copies of my edits. Open to all suggestions for managing the catalog.
I have the same problem with edits, Cathy. Particularly on some images that I keep going back to for one reason or another. I usually end up giving them descriptive file name additions if it gets really ugly. If you’re in LR, in the Library module, F2 goes to “Rename” and you can get rid of all those crazy edit-edit-edit things and just say what that version was for, e.g. ‘8x10 print’
It’s still ugly, but it works for me.
P.S. Nice job on the repost.
1 Like
Dennis, thanks for the idea to rename the edits in LR! I hadn’t discovered that function yet, I’ve just been renaming them when I export the jpegs. Your system would make it easier to go back from jpeg to the correct version of the raw file for future edits.
I’m with @Diane_Miller I like the branches. Gives the viewer an idea of the environment. Also kudos to you for getting focus through all that! Nice bird!!
Thanks Christine. I really liked that the shot caught the environment too. Fortunately, the grouse posed without moving long enough so that I could manually focus though the brush.
1 Like
Nice catch Cathy. Great that the bird held still long enough for you to gain focus through the branches. I really like seeing the slight bit of red around the eye - a detail that adds another point of interest for me. Nice job on the repost too.
Very nice image, Cathy. I was drawn to the image, in part, because of the out of focus FG branches. It gives me the feeling of being there, looking into the brush - with you. Selective focus can be a challenge, but I think it can also add a nice depth - as you’ve done here. Dennis’ suggested crop is by far stronger and I agree with him regarding the clump of dead leaves which add a very nice additional point of interest. Well done.
@Allen_Sparks @Buck_Maynard Thanks for your comments. I was really lucky that the bird allowed me to get the manual focus just how I wanted it with the detail like the red around the eye and the surroundings out of focus to give the image depth and context. I figure if I take my camera for enough hikes, I’m bound to get some lucky shots now and again 
I like this image a lot! Different, with lots of branches, gives the perfect idea of the environment of this grouse… Really nice, and the repost is even better!
