Original
Critique Style Requested: Standard
The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
I have rediscovered the joy of shooting at a suburban man-made lake. There is a quiet spot below a little weir where I can sit on boulders and wait for the waterfowl to come to me. Being below the weir puts me on water level as the birds.
The backgrounds are not pretty. Pontoons, people and a little painted bridge. The lighter parts in the image is the reflection of the bridge and surrounds.
Despite the number of people and dogs, below the weir was surprisingly peaceful. I hope I have captured some of that feel. I wonder how many walkers actually notice the quiet beauty that surrounds them.
Specific Feedback
Any comments are appreciated and welcomed!
Too dark? Not enough separation between bird and background/water?
Technical Details
1/12500 f10 ISO2500 150-600mm @600mm
Basic adjustments in ACR. Quite a few basic masks to bring a bit of light on the little moorhen.
I like this as presented, Glennie. The dark on dark works very nicely with the red beak adding a fine accent point that pulls the viewer into the image. There is a brighter circle to our left of the bird that could go. that’s my only nit. Years ago @Hans_Overduin in the Netherlands had a similar location that he used to get some gorgeous images on the same principle.
I do like the overall darkness to the composition and there’s enough light to make the subject apparent to the viewer. If you lightened up the comp, the vertical light colored areas might be more of a distraction. The position of the subject in the frame is not what the viewer expects and I found that to be quite interesting with the gradual darkening at the bottom of the frame. Well done…Jim
I have to say that I find this to be an unusual composition but one that I’m finding I like quite a bit. I also love the dark tonalities in this image. No, it’s not too dark for me at all. The OOF bokeh looks very painterly along the right and left edges that I find very attractive. I think it could maybe use a very slight clockwise rotation of a degree or two and that light band coming down on the right could also be burned a bit but I don’t find it terribly distracting. Just thought I’d throw it out there. Here is a very quick redo with light band burned, small dot removed and rotated just a smidgen. I added a little bit of Magenta to the bright band to help it blend in with the other band on the left side. Great Image, Glenys!
Lovely!!! The low key presentation works for me! The dark BG is lovely and the bird has very good tonal detail to stand out. No nits, but I wonder about adding a bit of canvas on top – should be easy with even the humble content-aware fill – and maybe (stress maybe) trimming just a bit off the bottom. Thumbs up!!
@Dennis_Plank . Thank you for your comments. The brighter circle, I have toned down slightly. And yes, I remember @Hans_Overduin images and checked out his profile here and his website. He’s taken bird photography to another level. Very arty.
@Jim_Zablotny . I always love your thoughtful comments.
@David_Haynes . Thank you. I have given the rework a slight CW rotation. I really like your version and have pretty much used your suggestions and also used a Linear Gradient to subdue that brighter band and added a touch of magenta and blue.
Thank you @Diane_Miller ! I liked your suggestions and have included them in the rework. A little canvas added on the top and a smidge taken off the bottom.
1 Like
Good work on the repost, Glenys, the bird seems even more at eye level and seems to help the mood of the image. I wonder the same thing when I see people out in nature.
Thumbs up – a lovely and unique image made even better!!
