|
| Group |
Round |
C/R |
Comment |
Date |
Image |
| 15 |
Jun 25 |
Comment |
Hi Kathy - I agree with all of the comments above - this is a lovely image of this San Juan Pigeon. The background color helps make the blue feathers really stand out, too. It's hard to shoot flying birds but if you haven't shot many birds in flight, pigeons and seagulls are great birds to practice on because they're often numerous and aren't overly fast flyers. I've shot and deleted thousands of birds in flight - and I'm still learning to predict the individual flight behaviors specific to my local species. A fast shutter speed is essential. YouTube videos have been a huge help for me, with accomplished photographers offering tips on settings specific to (my) your camera and len(s) for capturing birds in flight. |
Jun 21st |
| 15 |
Jun 25 |
Comment |
Hi Gerhard - Wow - this is quite the dramatic image - a capture of a capture! The Hornbill's sharp eye, dimensional feather detail, intense contrasting colors, and the rat(!) make this a very compelling shot. For your consideration, I have suggested a slightly tighter crop, just to remove the blurred bushes on viewers' right. |
Jun 21st |
 |
| 15 |
Jun 25 |
Reply |
Thank you, Angela! I was fortunate to be in the right place at the right time after a long, cold winter day of shooting - hoping to shoot Snowy Owls. Sadly, only "reference shots" Snowys that day, but as the light began to fade, this lovely little American Tree Sparrow topped off my day. |
Jun 21st |
| 15 |
Jun 25 |
Reply |
Thank you, Jerry for the crop-size suggestion. I just returned from my Colorado trip. Unfortunately, I don't have access to the original image on the computer I'm using tonight so I can't do a larger re-crop to take your suggestion at the moment. But I will do so when I'm able to access the original image again. I've been working on the "Art of the Crop" and all suggestions are most appreciated! |
Jun 21st |
| 15 |
Jun 25 |
Reply |
Thank you, Jennie - I was fortunate to have the cold, white ( end-of-day fading light) winter sky to backlight this sparrow's wings. Wish all of my birds would find such well-sited perches to pose for me! |
Jun 20th |
| 15 |
Jun 25 |
Reply |
Thank you for your feedback, Gerhard - I love these little American Tree Sparrows, but most of my captures of them are much more mundane. I was fortunate to have the location, light, and enough energy to wait this little beauty out at the end of a long, chilly winter shooting day. |
Jun 20th |
| 15 |
Jun 25 |
Reply |
Thank you, Jerry - It had been a long day shooting birds with marginal success and my energy and the light were both starting to fade. Glad I wasn't quite ready to leave because I ended up in the right place at the right moment to capture the beauty of this little American Tree Sparrow. |
Jun 20th |
| 15 |
Jun 25 |
Reply |
Thank you, Sarita - I was fortunate that the elements all came together when I saw this bird land on the treetop. |
Jun 20th |
| 15 |
Jun 25 |
Reply |
Thank you, Gloria - I've had ongoing suggestions in the past to crop more tightly on images where I felt it helpful to show more of the surrounding scenes. I've started making several crops to choose which provides the most overall impact. The close crops are winning out most of the time. |
Jun 20th |
| 15 |
Jun 25 |
Comment |
What a great capture, Sarita! This image is sharp, clear and the intimate crop really shows fine detail in both of these birds. I have offered a slightly tighter crop for your consideration that omits two branches so viewer attention is more narrowly focused on these lovely birds. |
Jun 4th |
 |
| 15 |
Jun 25 |
Comment |
|
Jun 3rd |
 |
| 15 |
Jun 25 |
Comment |
Wow Jerry - talk about a "straight shot!" ... You nailed this crane (and it looks like he's about to nail you too). Doesn't get much better than this ... I did find the brighter scrub brush or grass in the immediate foreground a bit distracting from this otherwise knockout image. I've suggested a couple super-quick edit options for your consideration that will keep all eyes on the incoming crane:
1. lowering saturation in the foreground
2. crop brighter foreground |
Jun 3rd |
 |
| 15 |
Jun 25 |
Comment |
Gloria - Nice shot! Breeding plumage, I believe ...? I find the 1/3200 usually gives clear handheld results and you nailed it. You've cropped nicely and background effectively offsets the bird in flight. Even at f5.6, you've got wingtip-to-wingtip sharpness on the wings. One very minor thing you might consider playing with in Lightroom is to "very lightly" adjust the black slider to lift the darkest shadows just a hair to subtly uncover texture below the head and tail. |
Jun 3rd |
| 15 |
Jun 25 |
Comment |
Isaac - What an excellent capture! All 5 crane heads are visible as they fly in formation! Even though the birds are sharp and clear, the background texture and color seem to be pulling my gaze away from the birds. Perhaps toning down the background colors just a bit will quell the competition and demand all of the viewers' attention. I did a quick adjustment to lower background saturation for your consideration ... |
Jun 3rd |
 |
7 comments - 7 replies for Group 15
|
| 36 |
Jun 25 |
Comment |
Hi Everyone - Thanks for all of your excellent comments and suggestions! Unfortunately, I didn't get to retake this location shot while in Boulder - but I did end up staying much longer than anticipated. (Got lotsa cute grandkid shots, but no landscapes). Now that I'm back home for the next few days before another western trip, I've incorporated your suggestions into a re-do. Further input welcome! |
Jun 21st |
 |
| 36 |
Jun 25 |
Comment |
Here's Crop Suggestion 2 |
Jun 21st |
 |
| 36 |
Jun 25 |
Comment |
Hi Gokul - I like this image very much. You've captured the intense Indian sun, an historic (?) architectural element, and more than one spectacular mountain range. I do agree this is a lot to see in one image. For your consideration, I've uploaded 2 possible edit options for your consideration that may help add focus to the image's primary elements. In both suggestions, I've cropped out the sky above the sun. In Crop Suggestion 1, I reduced saturation on the red roof to help that distant mountain range stand out. In Crop 2, I've suggested tightening the crop to exclude the red roof altogether (although it sadly loses most of the distant mountain range). This tighter crop adds more emphasis on the lovely architecture, creates a stronger leading line from left to right, and adds a sense of dimension to the near mountains. |
Jun 21st |
 |
| 36 |
Jun 25 |
Comment |
Hi Barbara - I love the Smokey Mountains, and you've really captured their essence here in this compelling shot. The winding path beckons me, and those dark clouds add a sense of mystery. For your consideration, I've suggested a slightly tighter crop (top and bottom), cutting the lighter clouds to add intrigue to the low, dark clouds - and at the bottom to put more emphasis on the entrance and path. (I also lifted the shadows just a hair). |
Jun 21st |
 |
| 36 |
Jun 25 |
Reply |
Yeah, half of my trip is shooting, but the other half is babysitting my grandson. :-) |
Jun 3rd |
| 36 |
Jun 25 |
Reply |
I'm headed back there tomorrow and will try to oblige (weather and time permitting!). |
Jun 3rd |
| 36 |
Jun 25 |
Comment |
Adi - This is lovely. I can almost hear the hiss of the falls and feel the cool damp air on my face. Nice silky water with S-curves, and your crop focuses all of our attention on the flowing water. One very minor nitpick is that just to the left of the largest falls drop, your green moss appears just a bit bluish on both of my monitors (my color issue???). I often feel shadows go too dark in outdoor images, but I feel that your shadows and light are right for this scene. Well done! |
Jun 3rd |
| 36 |
Jun 25 |
Comment |
Michael - Compelling photos have an interplay of warm / cool colors - and light / dark. These nice warm orange beech leaves indeed stand out against the cool white snow and green conifers. Almost a natural vignette! Your nicely-chosen square crop makes it easy to be drawn into the scene with the C-shape of the hemlock branches against the offset vertical beech. I wonder if the scene becomes more powerful by shaving off some darker shadows on the left and lowering the top crop just slightly to enhance the C-shape of the snow-covered boughs. I've suggested that crop for your - and the group's -consideration ... |
Jun 3rd |
 |
| 36 |
Jun 25 |
Comment |
|
Jun 3rd |
 |
| 36 |
Jun 25 |
Comment |
|
Jun 3rd |
 |
| 36 |
Jun 25 |
Comment |
Hi Larry - Very cool image! Fog makes us focus on the subtle and delicate aspects of a scene. I like your compelling crop! Consider that there may be more crop options from this one shot to take different advantage of these ethereal, fog-shrouded trees as well. I've uploaded a few ... |
Jun 3rd |
 |
9 comments - 2 replies for Group 36
|
16 comments - 9 replies Total
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