|
| Group |
Round |
C/R |
Comment |
Date |
Image |
| 67 |
Feb 26 |
Comment |
What an opportunity- and what a challenge, trying to make photos in absolute chaos.
You found a great stand of trees to frame the fire. I like the needles at the left and the right, providing balance and "bounding" the image. The lone gap in the trees which lets you see the detail of the fire is really important in telling the story- I might've had a hard time figuring it out without that. Perfectly positioned in the frame too.
Certainly an emotion-evoking image. |
Feb 10th |
| 67 |
Feb 26 |
Comment |
A lovely moment of interaction captured. Even the tails are in great positions to fill space without intersecting other body parts. The strong diagonals created by the necks and tails help keep the eye moving in the image. Did you try this flipped, so that the diagonal runs lower left to upper right?
You were lucky to be able to choose your height and thus the horizon position- not something you can do often on safari. One of the more challenging aspects of photographing large animals for sure. |
Feb 10th |
| 67 |
Feb 26 |
Comment |
Hi Bud, I know what you mean about the entertainment of these birds taking flight. I like capturing the splashes that tell the story and show the movement. The wing position here is pleasing, fully extended forward.
Your crop works well. I would also try this with the 3rd splash cropped off- not quite the same 16:9 format but it would make the bird a bit bigger and I don't think it would detract from the story.
The biggest detractor for me is the splashes being blown out and featureless. Reducing the exposure making them gray doesn't help, IMO. The overall dark scene caused the meter to increase the exposure a bit, which contributed to the problem. It's hard to predict an issue like this to set the exposure compensation ahead of time. One reason I still shoot in full manual when the light is constant. |
Feb 10th |
| 67 |
Feb 26 |
Comment |
A nice moment captured, feeding behaviors always appeal. So cool to have this species coming to your feeder!
I like what you've done darkening the background to reduce the distractions.
I know what you mean about things happening fast with birds. I'm not sure what I'd have tried to do here- perhaps trying to getting all of the adult and part of the juvenile. Given what you have to start with, I think your crop is the best choice - better to have it look intentional. If you could've instructed the birds on their pose, I'd have asked them to be closer together instead of stretched out. But we know birds don't listen.
|
Feb 10th |
| 67 |
Feb 26 |
Comment |
Hi Gregg, welcome to the group.
Whales are so hard to photograph. What I like here is that you've captured a story and not just the back of the whale in the water. I like your crop, presumably eliminating some water and/or sky.
The low contrast does add to the foggy impression. However I think you could bring up the black point- make the whale darker making it stand out better- and still keep that foggy feeling. I wouldn't darken the sky, as fog is typically brighter than the water.
I like the orientation of the image as presented. For me the direction that the principle birds are flying is a stronger cue than the direction of the whale so leaving them flying L - R works.
Again, welcome! |
Feb 10th |
| 67 |
Feb 26 |
Reply |
Thanks Butch, I will play with darkening the water a little bit. I also want to try to bring out the eyes a little better. |
Feb 9th |
5 comments - 1 reply for Group 67
|
| 72 |
Feb 26 |
Comment |
Hi Maria, catching the behavior of the scratching really makes this special. I'm impressed that you got such detail and sharpness shooting through glass!
I like your crop, and the nice gently curving line of the mound it's sitting on. I generally like a bit brighter images, and would try to lift the mid-tones a bit (with curves, or brightness for example) but that's a matter of taste.
Super cute little one! |
Feb 12th |
| 72 |
Feb 26 |
Comment |
Hi Adrian,
This is an immature Wandering-type Albatross. Based on the location, probably a Snowy.
Nice job with the exposure on this one, lots of great detail in all that white plumage. I like that you caught the wingtip almost dragging the water. The crop works well for me, I like the downward angled glide of the bird and the crop helps accentuate that.
|
Feb 12th |
2 comments - 0 replies for Group 72
|
| 91 |
Feb 26 |
Comment |
Those water colors are wonderful and make such a lovely setting for this lady. She's nicely placed within the ripples of orange and blue. By brightening her up just a bit you've made her more clearly separated from the water, which I like. Well done. |
Feb 10th |
| 91 |
Feb 26 |
Comment |
So my first thought when I opened this was, what a great Jigsaw puzzle this would make! A fun and creative collage.
I like the way you've arranged the different colors of the repeated colors, and then placed the "unique" ones within that. The blue eyes in the orange owl draw my attention, that block is well placed. |
Feb 10th |
| 91 |
Feb 26 |
Comment |
I'm just home from a Southern Ocean voyage, and taking photos of Albatrosses against the waves like this was one of my goals. It's so challenging to keep focus on the bird with a busy background like this (although the new Bird Tracking AF modes helps!!). This view of the bird gracefully soaring above the waves, is what it is to be an Albatross.
You've caught a nice position of the bird in between the white water, above the crest of the wave.
The next challenge with these birds is keeping the whites from blowing out, especially in bright sun like this. I've mentioned before that I do fully manual exposure (including fixed ISO) in these situations, and then check the playback frequently to insure I'm not over-exposing.
I've also found that it's hard to get detail in the whites even when they're not over-exposed. I've been using fine clarity adjustments (Structure in Capture one which I think is similar to Texture in Lightroom) to help bring out detail.
Hope you are having good luck with birds and weather on your current trip! |
Feb 10th |
| 91 |
Feb 26 |
Comment |
Hi Jerry, Thanks for the inputs. The reason I had the f/stop so high was the birds were relatively close- at times even closer than this- and I wanted to get both adults sharp. I started at f/9 and checking the playback could see that was insufficient, so I made adjustments. I wasn't getting any noticeable motion blur at that shutter speed so I left that to keep the ISO as low as possible. |
Feb 10th |
4 comments - 0 replies for Group 91
|
11 comments - 1 reply Total
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