Take that!

Image Critiques Avian Critiques
1

Kristen_SmithMay 29, 2023_1126352-Edit-3-Edit.jpg
Kristen_SmithMay 29, 2023_1126352-Edit-3-Edit.jpg2000×1681 1.05 MB

Critique Style Requested: Standard

The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.

Description

We all love an elegant, impossibly agile hummingbird photo, but I also love it when I catch something a little weird and clownish. Like this. It’s almost as if the flowers are menacing the bird. I especially like the bits of pollen flying in her face. She didn’t get stuck as they sometimes do, but it looks as though there’s a bit of a struggle going on.

Instead of my Wildlife custom mode, I took a few general meter readings and switched to manual with auto ISO (limit 6400) just to see how I like it and I do. I still try not to underexpose too much, but did for this because the bird was lit up quite a bit more brightly than the background. Plus I dialed in a much faster ss and think that’s what really made this shot.

Specific Feedback

Too weird? It certainly isn’t the classic look of hummingbird photos, but it makes me laugh. How’s the crop look? I have more flowers to the right and below, but nothing to the left. This felt like the right amount for flowers fighting back.

Technical Details

Handheld on the couch as usual

image

Lr for the basics to manage that huge tonality range - worked with masks and flattened those highlights and also pulled saturation down for orange and red, luminance of those up a bit. Ran a Lr denoise action then a Topaz Sharpen AI job and layered them in Photoshop to get the best of each of them. Using either causes highlights to jump again so I tamed those and got rid of some distractions.

1 Like
2

I like it, Kris. It’s always interesting to see animals in different poses and actions and this is a nice one. I think the dark background works quite well in this image.

3

Always a favorite to see their antics in an around our gardens such as this scene here, Kris. I’ve also been lucky enough to have these tiny creatures hovering around me in the most remote areas. In many cases they seem as surprised and as curious as I am and get very close to me during a photo session.
I’m with @Dennis_Plank here on the dark BG working as it’s presented here. A really fun viewing here… :cowboy_hat_face:

4

Thanks @Dennis_Plank & @Paul_Breitkreuz - glad you can find something fun in it, classical though it isn’t. The dark bg is just the far backyard in shade.

5

Excellent and amusing! The balance of flowers looks fine to me, and you have shown the antics of these little buzz saws. Nice job on tonalities – looks very natural.

6

Thanks @Diane_Miller - I’m glad the flowers look right - any crop cut off stuff and so there was no way to include absolutely everything, plus there was a lot of them. Glad about the way I managed the direct sun as well. That’s when these guys show up!