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| Group |
Round |
C/R |
Comment |
Date |
Image |
| 12 |
Feb 23 |
Comment |
I'm experimenting with commenting based about photo impact built on storytelling + creativity + composition + technical excellence with category "Winter Birds"
Storytelling: The leafless trees with birds starts my mind thinking about the harsh conditions the birds have to survive in. The light blue sky increases the coldness feeling. The birds appear to be looking for something, which the story in my minds continues build on wondering if they will find food.
Creativity. ?
Composition: The birds create a nice triangle to make sure we see all three of them. The bird on the left is where my eye stops as the center of interest. While it is important for the story to have lots of background trees to show the environment, to me the story is enhanced by cropping about 15% from the left, top and bottom. Which leaves the starkness of winter visible, yet enhances the composition rule of odd.
Technical Excellence: The photo focus and exposure are well done. I think, in post processing I think reducing the exposure and blacks sliders and increasing the contrast, shadows and vibrance brings out more detail and enhances sharpness.
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Feb 26th |
 |
| 12 |
Feb 23 |
Comment |
It was past the deadline before I was back home. Thus, not a chance to edit and resubmit. I place third behind
New York City
https://www.flagpolephotographers.com/photos/competition/20230223/opencolor-classa/competition20230223_opencolor-classa_8976_4-darrell-harrington_awalkwithaview.jpg
And two birds interacting
https://www.flagpolephotographers.com/photos/competition/20230223/opencolor-classa/competition20230223_opencolor-classa_2069_241-katie-slawitschek_competingforfood.jpg |
Feb 23rd |
| 12 |
Feb 23 |
Comment |
Lighter is a good idea. I'm out of town. When I get back I'll play with lightening it. While I would like to stay within PSA Nature guidelines, I did enter it into an Open category. |
Feb 19th |
| 12 |
Feb 23 |
Reply |
I agree, cropping out the log with snow was not something I wanted to do. The log and snow make the environment clear. There's an old photography saying of "crop until it hurts". If I was going to hang the photo on the wall, I'd leave the log and snow in the photo. If I want a judge to focus on the birds eye, crop to make the eye large. Luckily, I had a lot of pixels to work with to keep it sharp. In this crop, it's still 3000 pixels wide. I've entered the photo into an Open Color competition for Thursday. A year ago, when I competed with it, I lost in a third-place tie breaker. I'll let you know how this week goes. Albeit it will be competing against other photos with different judges. |
Feb 18th |
| 12 |
Feb 23 |
Reply |
Hi Fran
Maybe the overexposure I'm seeing is from thea late editing step or conversion to upload jpeg. Here is what ACR is showing me when I load the jpeg.
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Feb 12th |
 |
| 12 |
Feb 23 |
Reply |
Cropped in more and lighten. While I liked the log showing the snow. The main subject is the bird's head. |
Feb 12th |
 |
| 12 |
Feb 23 |
Reply |
Good idea it was hard to notice the food and the food adds to the story. |
Feb 10th |
| 12 |
Feb 23 |
Comment |
Impressive capture! Someday, I'll be somewhere with a camera and a hummingbird. I found the composition making me eye jump back and forth from the flower and the bird. I know you wanted to keep the top of the flower in the frame, but maybe some guidelines need to be bent now and then. Here is a version with a tight crop and lighten and adding color to just the bird. To me, it makes the bird the clear subject of the photo. |
Feb 8th |
 |
| 12 |
Feb 23 |
Comment |
Before viewing your story, I was pondering about the missing original background. The subtle texture you added effectively eliminates what could have been a distracting background. Your exposure was a bit high, resulting in some areas that are purely white with no texture, particularly to the right of the eye. You captured the crane in an action shot (with its beak in its feathers), which greatly enhances the story. Although the subject matter is winter birds, I was curious to know if shifting the color balance towards yellow would bring out more color in the body feathers. |
Feb 8th |
| 12 |
Feb 23 |
Comment |
I concur that the bird is beautifully composed among the branches. I was curious to see what the image would look like if it were cropped closer. However, as you can see in the version below, the sharp branch to the left takes up too much space. The eye is in sharp focus and the belly appears blurred on my screen, possibly a larger aperture number would have better focus. |
Feb 8th |
 |
| 12 |
Feb 23 |
Comment |
Nice shot! The bird is gazing directly at the camera, and its eye is in sharp focus. The crop provides ample space for the bird to move towards the right. Although the photo appears to be slightly over-processed, with some areas having good texture while others lack detail. The ice adds a unique touch that sets it apart. Despite not getting the snow you were hoping for, I think the ice worked very well. |
Feb 8th |
| 12 |
Feb 23 |
Comment |
The vignette and colors help us look directly at the cardinal. Very nice. My first impression of the green wire complemented the red bird well. Now I'm wondering if the green distracts me from the bird, but it really doesn't, my eye always stops on the cardinal. The other bird is not needed. |
Feb 8th |
| 12 |
Feb 23 |
Comment |
It depicts the harsh winter environment the birds must endure - barren. The cool (as in cold) blue tones help. The birds seem to be all looking at the same thing. But, we don't know what it is.
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Feb 8th |
| 12 |
Feb 23 |
Reply |
Thanks, I was lucky to be close with a large lens that allowed me to capture the details. And incredibly lucky the Blue Jay showed up with ice in its eyebrows :-)
FYI - On mealworms and PSA. About 1.5 years ago (or so) PSA Nature guidelines added a "welfare of living creatures" clause that prohibits submitting Nature photos with things like human supplied mealworms. For 2023, PSA extended the "welfare of living creatures" to all PSA division definitions. |
Feb 6th |
9 comments - 5 replies for Group 12
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9 comments - 5 replies Total
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