I don't know how you'd edit that first one. You have a fine, detailed shot
of the young bird, but the surroundings take away all the impact. The mother's (?)
leg and the part of her body takes a minute to register for what it is. The
background is too sharp. I don't see a way to crop it to improve it, and
blurring the background would be almost impossible selection-wise.
You might crop out all but the head of the young bird and go for that.
The second image is well-done, but the straw at the lower right is the
area in sharpest focus.
first, nice shot -- it would be better I think if it was not soo centered and moms ? dads? leg body is a help to the shoot so I would push it to the right . second shot it is too close for me but it also is a great capture how to improve it not sure ?
You know, I am really glad this happens to someone besides me. That first shot is of such a cute/ugly chick, and you would sure like to get the shot without the mother's leg and with a nice soft defocused background, but you can't move Mama out of the way, and all those twigs around the nest are distracting, and the background is way too detailed. If the chick wasn't having such an incredibly bad hair day, I would select the chick in photoshop or ps elements and put it on a separate layer, and then go back to the full photo layer beneath and darken the whole thing, so that the chick stays bright and focused and the background gets darker so the chick stands out more. But, as with many of my shots with the many fine hairs sticking out from the chick's head, this fix never really looks too natural, and with the detail work required, it seems not worth it to me for this type of shot. The advice I give myself is to be patient and really search for a nest better positioned and wait for the Mom to step away. You sure found a cute chick though!
The advice I give myself is to be patient and really search for a nest better positioned and wait for the Mom to step away.
Depending on what you're trying to achieve, I'd agree with Pam's comment.
Pretty sure we all end up with 'if only' shots - I certainly do
If mine, I'd keep them to show mrs pp ... and 'what if' ...and then eventually dump them.
In 1, the bg and foreground are not ideal ... the adult's presence (to me) is less of an issue.
In 2, I find the dark top left corner the most distracting / eye catching element - the shape of the 2 heads is v.nice, btw.
Haqving done a lot of shooting at rookeries I know how tough it is to get a clean shot there. Rookeries afford one loads of mediocre photo ops but its is extremely difficult to get a really good capture because of the difficulty in isolating your subject. The first image doesn't work because of the distraction of the mother's leg.
The second image has excellent light and is well composed. Its a very interesting and appealing image.
Harry http://behret.smugmug.com/NANPA member How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 50. One to change the bulb, and forty-nine to say, "I could have done that better!"
Thanks
Thanks for the replies. I know the first photo is a mess. I was looking at the editing ie: exposure, sharpness. I have looked around the site and there are numerous photographers that I really admire their work, so this is a great site for critiques.
Favorites
This is one of my favorites from Gatorland, it was actually too close to get more than this, another bird landed close to it and it wasn't appreciated.
I like that one too! Also, just for your comfort, today I took about 100 photos of 3 egret chicks and a Mom (or Dad) and they were all 100% worthless. Keep posting. It seems like I learn something from this forum every day! Best, Pam
That tri-color is a beauty. You gotta love those breeding colors. You can get some amazing close-ups at Gatorland in Orlando and the Alligator Farm in St Augustine. My only nit with the omage would be the head angle. I would prefer not having it facing away. I would also comp it with more room on the left.
BTW, one of your images was at the Brevard Zoo. Did you know that 5 minutes down Wickham Rd from the zoo are the Viera Wetlands?
Harry http://behret.smugmug.com/NANPA member How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 50. One to change the bulb, and forty-nine to say, "I could have done that better!"
Sorry it took so long to respond it has been a hectic few days. No Harry I didn't know that was there. Have you ever been to the Circle B-Bar in Lakeland?
Sorry it took so long to respond it has been a hectic few days. No Harry I didn't know that was there. Have you ever been to the Circle B-Bar in Lakeland?
Not yet, its supposed to be very good but its a least an hour drive for me. I have the Viera Wtlands 10 minutes away and with the same subjects as the Circle B-Bar.
Harry http://behret.smugmug.com/NANPA member How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 50. One to change the bulb, and forty-nine to say, "I could have done that better!"
Comments
of the young bird, but the surroundings take away all the impact. The mother's (?)
leg and the part of her body takes a minute to register for what it is. The
background is too sharp. I don't see a way to crop it to improve it, and
blurring the background would be almost impossible selection-wise.
You might crop out all but the head of the young bird and go for that.
The second image is well-done, but the straw at the lower right is the
area in sharpest focus.
http://tonycooper.smugmug.com/
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SmugMug account.
Website.
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Best, Pam
Depending on what you're trying to achieve, I'd agree with Pam's comment.
Pretty sure we all end up with 'if only' shots - I certainly do
If mine, I'd keep them to show mrs pp ... and 'what if' ...and then eventually dump them.
In 1, the bg and foreground are not ideal ... the adult's presence (to me) is less of an issue.
In 2, I find the dark top left corner the most distracting / eye catching element - the shape of the 2 heads is v.nice, btw.
pp
Flickr
The second image has excellent light and is well composed. Its a very interesting and appealing image.
http://behret.smugmug.com/ NANPA member
How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 50. One to change the bulb, and forty-nine to say, "I could have done that better!"
Thanks for the replies. I know the first photo is a mess. I was looking at the editing ie: exposure, sharpness. I have looked around the site and there are numerous photographers that I really admire their work, so this is a great site for critiques.
Thanks again.
This is one of my favorites from Gatorland, it was actually too close to get more than this, another bird landed close to it and it wasn't appreciated.
BTW, one of your images was at the Brevard Zoo. Did you know that 5 minutes down Wickham Rd from the zoo are the Viera Wetlands?
http://behret.smugmug.com/ NANPA member
How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 50. One to change the bulb, and forty-nine to say, "I could have done that better!"
Not yet, its supposed to be very good but its a least an hour drive for me. I have the Viera Wtlands 10 minutes away and with the same subjects as the Circle B-Bar.
http://behret.smugmug.com/ NANPA member
How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 50. One to change the bulb, and forty-nine to say, "I could have done that better!"