Not a bad shot; a nice portrait of beautiful bird. It could probably benefit from a little editing. Looks maybe a bit soft...could be sharpened to show more detail. Also might benefit from additional contrast and/or white balance adjustment. Maybe even clone out the foreground/background branches that are a little distracting (I usually try to avoid that kind of stuff unless absolutely necessary though)...
Anyway, here's a quick look at what I'm talking about:
Hope that helps... Welcome to the forum Jim, I'm looking forward to seeing more of your work.
Not a bad shot; a nice portrait of beautiful bird. It could probably benefit from a little editing. Looks maybe a bit soft...could be sharpened to show more detail. Also might benefit from additional contrast and/or white balance adjustment. Maybe even clone out the foreground/background branches that are a little distracting (I usually try to avoid that kind of stuff unless absolutely necessary though)...
Anyway, here's a quick look at what I'm talking about:
Hope that helps... Welcome to the forum Jim, I'm looking forward to seeing more of your work.
Not a bad shot; a nice portrait of beautiful bird. It could probably benefit from a little editing. Looks maybe a bit soft...could be sharpened to show more detail. Also might benefit from additional contrast and/or white balance adjustment. Maybe even clone out the foreground/background branches that are a little distracting (I usually try to avoid that kind of stuff unless absolutely necessary though)...
Scott
You might have mentioned the possible movement of the subject to the right to perhaps increase visual impact of image with regards to composition. This is a much more glaring issue with this image than the technical aspects.
The bird is not centered which is a plus. The positioning of the bird doesn't really break any rules of compostion but more commonly one would move that bird to the right vertical third of the frame so the bird had more room in front of him. Room to "look" into. This would have improved visual impact IMO.
This becomes a more literal preference than a compositional rule (preference) What I mean is the viewer will more often read into or tell a story about the subject and it's (perceived) beahavior / action. In this case the bird is looking to it's left. To increase this (fact) perception, leaving more space in front of the bird helps enhance this "perceived" action/behavior. Nothing compositionally wrong the way it is, just dowsn't really add to the visual impact of the image or the subject's (perceived) action IMO.
Good point Mike. The positioning does make a significant difference. And usually, the tighter the crop, the greater the impact the image has.
Negative space is your friend and a very valuable tool in composition. Don't crop too tight. Let the subject breath. Too many crop way too tight and don't use the element of negative space to enhance / improve the composition. Bigger does not always mean better. Use the negative space and backgrouind elements to aid in the viewers eye movement and attention. Using the background elements (if any) to lead the viewers eye to the most important point (subject) of the shot is a good thing. Use the negative space and secondary elements to enhance the image. thumb
Having said that. If you are going to crop tight for imapct. DO IT RIGHT and DO IT BIG. No whimpy crop. Get in your face with the subject. Don't do it half arsed if you know what I mean. Make the viewer realize you wanted the tight crop. Don't make it look like an accident or that you didn't get the "whole" shot the first time. Do it bold...
When I was new to wildlife photography, I would have been thrilled to get a chance at a pose like this of a Red-tailed Hawk.
In hindsight...I would have been better prepared. If there is a hawk in the area...don't be afraid to take some shots of possible perches and see what you need to do by checking the histogram and light angle.
This was close to right on settings. Better to have a shallower depth of field and a higher shutter speed to start of with. Then if the hawk is willing to sit, lower the iso or close the aperture more.
Generally, I start at ISO 500, f 6.3, plus 1/3 exposure compensation...and go from there after checking. Most of the time you won't get a second chance...so try to be prepared.
Comments
Anyway, here's a quick look at what I'm talking about:
Hope that helps... Welcome to the forum Jim, I'm looking forward to seeing more of your work.
Cheers,
Scott
www.photohound.smugmug.com
Thanks, Jim
Lecompte, LA.
www.jimejohnsonphoto.com
You might have mentioned the possible movement of the subject to the right to perhaps increase visual impact of image with regards to composition. This is a much more glaring issue with this image than the technical aspects.
The bird is not centered which is a plus. The positioning of the bird doesn't really break any rules of compostion but more commonly one would move that bird to the right vertical third of the frame so the bird had more room in front of him. Room to "look" into. This would have improved visual impact IMO.
This becomes a more literal preference than a compositional rule (preference) What I mean is the viewer will more often read into or tell a story about the subject and it's (perceived) beahavior / action. In this case the bird is looking to it's left. To increase this (fact) perception, leaving more space in front of the bird helps enhance this "perceived" action/behavior. Nothing compositionally wrong the way it is, just dowsn't really add to the visual impact of the image or the subject's (perceived) action IMO.
Still an enjoyable shot to look at.
"Osprey Whisperer"
OspreyWhisperer.com
www.photohound.smugmug.com
http://danielplumer.com/
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Negative space is your friend and a very valuable tool in composition. Don't crop too tight. Let the subject breath.
Having said that. If you are going to crop tight for imapct. DO IT RIGHT and DO IT BIG. No whimpy crop. Get in your face with the subject. Don't do it half arsed if you know what I mean. Make the viewer realize you wanted the tight crop. Don't make it look like an accident or that you didn't get the "whole" shot the first time. Do it bold...
"Osprey Whisperer"
OspreyWhisperer.com
In hindsight...I would have been better prepared. If there is a hawk in the area...don't be afraid to take some shots of possible perches and see what you need to do by checking the histogram and light angle.
This was close to right on settings. Better to have a shallower depth of field and a higher shutter speed to start of with. Then if the hawk is willing to sit, lower the iso or close the aperture more.
Generally, I start at ISO 500, f 6.3, plus 1/3 exposure compensation...and go from there after checking. Most of the time you won't get a second chance...so try to be prepared.
Lecompte, LA.
www.jimejohnsonphoto.com