Critique Style Requested: Standard
The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
I took this on the outskirts of a pond… in the spring here you see many yellow-headed black birds. I was lucky to get this photo of him showing off his wings.
Nikon z9, 400mm, f/4, iso 800, 1/640
Gorgeous!!! Wonderful detail and pose with very nice detail in the yellow head. An extremely minor nit is that the cattail in the UR corner is a tiny bit distracting – an easy clone repair. The whites in the perch cattail are bordering on hot. That makes me wonder about a subtle gradient burn from the bottom to give a little more visual weight there. Not a necessity, by any means – just a thought. I love the purity of the water there.
Hi Sue, cool shot! love the spread wings and tail and seeing the gorgeous feathers on the head. I’d try darkening the highlights all together as I think the white on the bird is overly bright too. The yellow on the head looks good to me. I can see the remnant in the upper right corner also that needs to go. A great image just needs a few tweaks.
Yes I sent the wrong image as I did get the little bit of the cattail in the upper right corner out on the one I meant to send. Today I took the background out and made it blue… and tried what you said about darkening the highlights.
This community has really helped me so far with comments, etc. It has helped me look at things I missed or just didn’t think about. 
I just wrote on this and reposted the image… I did sent the wrong image… I had the cattail in the right corner gone. However… I do appreciate al the comments. I need to try your idea now of the Gradient from the bottom. thanks
This community so far has really helped me look at my images in different ways… I am learning so much already.
The bird in the re-post looks great, though I prefer the background colors in the first post. For me, it gives a better sense of the habitat.
It’s always wonderful to see anyone doing re-posts and revised versions. That’s what this is all about – exploring and learning!
I like the second version or could go with something in between. A wonderful capture!!
