I went to a local pond yesterday and had a great few hours. One of the highlights was a dispute between one pair of Canada geese and a trio of them. It seemed to go on and on. This was one of my favorite images from that encounter.
Type of Critique Requested
Aesthetic: Feedback on the overall visual appeal of the image, including its color, lighting, cropping, and composition.
Conceptual: Feedback on the message and story conveyed by the image.
Technical: Feedback on the technical aspects of the image, such as exposure, color, focus and reproduction of colors and details, post-processing, and print quality.
Specific Feedback and Self-Critique
I wish I’d had a bit more room on the right for them to move into. I could have zoomed out a bit more but the action was pretty intense at the time and I didn’t bother. The uninvolved goose in the background feels a bit odd given what’s going on and I could remove it.
Technical Details
Sony A1, FE 200-600 + 1.4 TC @ 515 mm, monpod, f/9, 1/1250, iso 1000, manual exposure. Processed in LR & PS CC. Freehand vignette applied around the edges, micro-contrast boost to the primary actors and the splashes, odds and ends of touch up here and there, particularly around the edges.
A lot to like here. You caught the action perfectly with the one taking a nibble of the other’s foot and you can almost hear it squawking in protest. I like the environment with the foliage framing the goose in flight. The geese involved are quite sharp and all that water splashing is nice. All in all, it does tell a good story. Since you mentioned it, I could see removing the bystander and probably could content aware in some room on the right-but, really quite nice as is.
Nice frame caught at the right moment. The uninvolved goose doesn’t bother me; in fact, I think it adds to the story. I think the crop is fine; a little more room on the right would be good, but not essential. Good details all around. Nicely done.
I am sure you had a great time photographing these geese, Dennis. Nothing like some action and story telling, even if the subject is Canada Geese which seems to be plentiful everywhere. They can be very much territorial, and having had domestic geese growing up, I know you don’t want to be on their bad side, they can hurt you. Nice image with lots of action.
What a great capture!
I’m impressed by the DOF in this, the FG looks great!
The main characters are nice and sharp while the bystander is in soft focus, really nice!
Also love the stop action of the birds and the airborne water.
It makes me wonder if the chasing goose wound up with a few tail feathers in it’s mouth
