The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
this was taken on a lake in Southern California a couple of years ago. I really like the Greenish water behind the bird. Wish it was easier to tame some of the highlights in the lower right-hand corner.
Specific Feedback
anything that helps
Technical Details
ISO 1000, 400 mm +1.4 extender, F6 .3, 2000th, Sony A1
Critique Template
Use of the template is optional, but it can help spark ideas.
well this is fun. Such incredible detail! I love the shapes and the fluidity on display in the bird’s neck. Nice wake contrasting with the water ahead of it, too. That eye really pops. I think your choice of crop works well and the water drops on the back are a nice bonus. Not sure how I’d improve except maybe to play with white balance and/or midtones - it looks a tad muddy, but darn it’s nice to see this little hunter. Sorry fish.
Wonderful sharpness and detail!! I think a gradient burn from the bottom could help with the highlights, and for my taste there is room to crop from the right to lessen the visual weight (amount) of whites.
David - a really nice catch for both of you!
From here, looks a little crunchy, so you might consider backing off a bit on the sharpening.
Diane’s suggestion for the crop is a good idea.
Very nice, David. I love the water and the low angle look to this. To my eye, the bird is looking just a bit oversharpened, but that’s pretty minor. The extra space on the right doesn’t really bother me, but it wouldn’t hurt to remove some of it either.
I ran this through Topaz photo AI and it got really over sharpened even when I Set the sharpening as low as possible. Yeah it’s crunchy… Just the topaz thing I guess.
This is an image. I’ve posted multiple times and even got an EP for it. I found out later two years ago.
I’m still looking through all stuff for trying to find something new or do something new with something old. It keeps my mind off the chronic pain.
David
I don’t know about Topaz Photo AI, but I’m not surprised to hear that for one of those “all-in-one” things. Topaz Denoise AI used as a PS filter doesn’t oversharpen unless the defaults are overridden. Topaz Sharpen is another thing entirely – it has a number of algorithms and puts no restraint on overuse. (But restraint can be done by the user with a 100% view.) Considering that all so-called “sharpening” is just done by adding artifacts, at this point in their development I have no use for any sharpening, in any software.
The one exception is the motion blur filter in the Topaz Sharpen set, which can be amazing if there is just a little blur on an otherwise very sharp image.
