The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
Queensland, Australia
There are 10 types of these tiny, stunning , very skittish fairy wrens, some very similar - and they hybridize, making ID very difficult sometimes.
These tiny little things weight about 1/3 ounce and are 11-15 cm in length, and flit about frantically.
Specific Feedback
comments welcome
Technical Details
Software: DxO PureRAW 5+ PS 2025
Exposure Time: 1/640 sec
F Number: f/6.3
ISO Speed Ratings: ISO 1600
Exposure Program: Aperture priority
Metering Mode: Spot
Exposure Bias: 0.33 EV
Focal Length: 390 mm
Hi Sandy, a gorgeous little beauty and a fine capture of it. Love the upright tail and seeing the colorful body so well including the head/eye. Pleasing background and a nice perch too.
(I’m going to comment on this one in conjunction with your cockatoo image, since I have different opinions about the use of space in each one.)
First, I really like this portrait. The pose is really dynamic… the shape is soooo strong, and the legs are perfectly placed. It’s a wonderful perch (might lose the thin bit of white with a minimal bottom crop) and lovely background.
I also understand the idea of leaving room in front of the bird, since it shows where it’s looking, and we have a tendency to follow that look. However, in this case I believe that because of the strength of the shape, my focus wants to stay on the bird itself. The left quarter of the frame is really empty compared to everything else, and I really don’t want to look away in that direction. So I’d probably go with more of a vertical crop in this case. If the tail were down, or there were more rock sloping away leftward beneath the bird—i.e., it’s smaller in the frame and blends into a longer diagonal line—I’d feel differently.
I only mention this because in your cockatoo shot I feel much stronger about the “directional composition.” In that one, I feel that the empty space behind the birds is really pulling from the natural rightward flow (with both birds looking right, and the undulating trunk line also leading right). This one to me doesn’t have quite as much directionality to it, so I prefer to stay centered.
Sorry. Long post. But I had to check myself when I realized I was reacting very differently to the two shots, even though only a small portion of each frame was causing these reactions. Had to get it off my chest.
@Max_Waugh - Thanks a bunch for a detailed critique! I always appreciate your comments, especially. I didn’t have much more rock to work with, and that tail was difficult - I posted the edit. Is this more what you had in mind?
Sandy, thanks for the edit. It’s much closer (and a big improvement for me), though my preference would be to bring it in a tick more. Basically making bird and perch the center of our focus. But I sometimes get in trouble for whittling away until I have too little to work with!
I have found that when I’m presented with a bold and obvious shape which is such a powerful graphic element, that I often want to center all my focus on it. Very different from the images that work well as a medium-small part of the greater environment and invite us to explore the rest of the frame thanks to their placement or pose. Here, we are exploring the bird rather than the environment, traveling along that zig-zaggy shape from tail to marvelous head, down to the solid legs and the great texture of the perch. I don’t need to go anywhere else.
shape is soooo strong, and the legs are perfectly placed. It’s a wonderful perch (might lose the thin bit of white with a minimal bottom crop) and lovely background.
