Critique Style Requested: Standard
The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
Greetings all:
It has been a while since I posted on this forum. Hope you are all doing well.
This is an image taken last month at the Bear River Refuge. The yellow-headed blackbirds were establishing their territories and singing from their favorite perches. I enjoyed seeing these colorful birds in the surrounding greenery.
Specific Feedback
Any, all. I composed this to include the entire phragmite stalk. Would like to hear your feedback on the composition and elements.
Technical Details
840mm, 1/1000s@F7.1, ISO800. Taken from the car. Processed for the web.
I cloned out a couple of oof reed stalks behind the bird that I found a little distracting.
2 Likes
This is really nice, Govind. I like the full stalk with the seed head included-it adds a lot to the image. I’ve never seen one of these with that kind of extension on the neck-obviously “singing” it’s heart out. Since you’ve already done some cloning on this, there’s just the tip of an in-focus stem sticking into the bottom of the frame that tends to catch my eye.
1 Like
Nice job on removing the oof reeds you mentioned. Agree with Dennis on the small stem on the bottom. The blacks could maybe use some opening up for just a detail or two more. Overall the comp works well, but I would be tempted to try and crop out the pale layer on the top and push in from the right to keep the current format. I saw a few of these Yellow-heads in E. Washington mid May but couldn’t get close enough for a decent image, enjoyed seeing yours, Govind.
1 Like
Wonderful capture of a species I’ve not seen. The lighter layer at the top (water?) feels OK but the tip of the reed extending into it becomes colorless, which doesn’t feel right. I think you could clone out the stalks that exit the frame on the right.
1 Like
Hi Govin, good to see you posting again. I love the singing pose and the yellow is quite nice. Nice placement of subject in the frame. I like this version as is even though the tweaks mentioned above could also be good to check out. Well done.
1 Like
Thank you, all, for your feedback.
Good catch and suggestion on the in-focus reed at the bottom, @Dennis_Plank. I did not notice it when I was processing the image. These birds contort themselves quite a bit when they are singing.
