The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
This was taken on a cold winters day - it was one of the few places on the pond that was not frozen over. I liked the ice crystals showing on the swans necks as well as the curves formed by the swans necks.
Specific Feedback
I’m most interested in any changes people would recommend on my post processing but all constructive criticism appreciated.
Wow – very nice!!! Wonderful poses and composition! I too could see just a bit more room in the frame if you have it, but that’s not a huge deal. The swans are so sharp and well-defined against the BG that they fit well in the frame. Colors are just right! There is an oblong dark blob in the UR corner that would be easy to remove. Could be something on the sensor or even on the back element of the lens.
This looks like your first post, and it is a very impressive one! Welcome! I look forward to seeing your work!!
It’s always helpful to have more info about equipment and processing.
Welcome Elizabeth! Really nice image. Love the position of the swans’ heads and necks with good sharpness throughout. The water/ice on the necks and heads is an added level of interest. Exposure looks good. Including info on settings and processing would be helpful for critiquing.
Thank you everyone for the feedback. I included a snapshot of the histogram with the settings under Technical Details. Let me take a look and see what I can do in terms of adding more space and getting rid of the dark blob. I did this a while ago, so I don’t remember what I did for processing, but I’ll start back with the RAW file and redo.
Very nice, Elizabeth. Welcome to NPN and the Avian forum. I notice you’ve already started commenting on other folks images, which is a great start on this site.
I like the way you handled the whites in the swans and the composition is fine. Other people have mentioned a bit more room. If you’re fairly new to bird photography, it’s very common for beginners to want to get as close to the subject and get it as big in the frame as possible, but sometimes that ends up making the bird feel like it’s in a box, which is not what we think of with birds. (Take that statement with a grain of salt-I know some very experienced bird photographers that still like to keep their subjects large in the frame).
Again, welcome, and I look forward to seeing a lot more of your work here.
Wonderful redo! I could go in between the 2 on the crop as the swans are so dramatic in the OP. The whites are a tiny bit hot in the RP, probably from Clarity, although it is a good tool. I actually prefer the warmth in the OP – warm tones trigger endorphins or something.
I almost always get a better result when I start over from scratch – we learn so much subliminally and instincts get honed.
Hi Elizabeth, sorry I missed the specs when I first saw this image. Techs look good.
I tried my hand at a recrop. Thinking I’d like to see more space on the right than the left since the closest bird is facing that direction. I also cropped in some from the bottom. I think this image would maintain its intimacy more with less space around the birds while still avoiding the “bird in a box”. See my rework below:
