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Questions to guide your feedback
I have edited and re-edited this one to death and now I’m wondering mostly about the blue cast that I purposely used for this image. Does it work or is it maybe a little too much? There was blue in the water but the background hill was mostly blueish brown which didn’t work for me.
Other Information
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Image Description
This was taken on my Fall color trip last October when I went to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. I laid the camera flat on the ground and used the articulating screen to frame up this shot. Yellowstone Lake is big and notorious for having rough water so by getting very low I reduced the amount of water chop in front of and behind the birds while shooting wide open @ F/2.8 which really helps.
Technical Details
Nikon Z9, 400mm f/2.8mm lens with built in teleconverter not engaged, 400mm, ISO 2000, SS 4000,
Critique Template
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I honestly think this image is very well done. I find i can be too overly critical of my work at times as well, but for me I think this image looks very natural. I love the golden light hitting the birds contrasting with the light blues in the water. And I think the dark blue backdrop of the hill adds the perfect amount of contrast and helps the viewers eye focus on the subject easily as well. Great image!
Swans are always elegant subjects and this is a very pleasing image with a low angle and shallow DOF. I don’t find the blue cast too much of an issue - I see that all the time too, especially on white birds in water in daylight.
The blue doesn’t bother me a bit, David. I love the low angle you managed for this one and the depth of field works beautifully in this image. The only real nit I have, and it’s a small one, is that I’d like just a smidgen of separation between the bill of the foreground bird and the neck of the background bird. The handling of the whites in this image is absolutely perfect for my taste.
Congrats on the EP. The low angle makes the photo for me and there’s excellent detail/whites in the foreground bird. I like the blue cast; works well with the swans.
I just saw this! It is gorgeous!! Excellent positioning to get a unique viewpoint and no way would I think it is too blue. The crop is perfect. Congratulations on the EP – very well deserved!
Thank you @bryant, @Peter_Morrissey, @Jim_Erhardt, @glennie, @S_Govindarajan, @Dennis_Plank, @SandyR-B, @Allen_Brooks, @Diane_Miller for your thoughtful comments and critiques. I very much appreciate it.
Well, the consensus is that there is not too much blue in the processing which I’m glad to hear. This image was driving me nuts as it just looked fabricated.
My other nit was just as @Dennis_Plank mentioned and that is that the beak of the one bird touches the neck of the other bird and I too wish for just a smidgen more separation here but my shot before and after were not as good as this one so, I guess better luck next time. Also, thanks for the EP. I was not expecting that at all.