WPC 1620 - Backyard Nature CRITIQUE
May 22, 2016 00:42:56 #
PattyW60's WPC Entry has been selected for a Photo Critique to find out what could have done to make it better.
Be nice, but be honest as this may help everyone with their craft. Thank you everyone!
From WPC 1620 - Backyard Nature RESULTS http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/photo_contest_ratings.jsp?pcnum=1222
Be nice, but be honest as this may help everyone with their craft. Thank you everyone!
From WPC 1620 - Backyard Nature RESULTS http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/photo_contest_ratings.jsp?pcnum=1222
May 22, 2016 00:59:42 #
You have a pleasing setting here with the spring blooms, but I can't say much for the bird--it is a very uncomfortable capture. The ruffled feathers headed in all directions do not compliment the bird at all and make me want to move on to another photo.
May 22, 2016 04:51:51 #
St3v3M wrote:
PattyW60's WPC Entry has been selected for the Photo Critique Forum* to find out what could have done to make it better.
Be nice, but be honest as this may help everyone with their craft. Thank you everyone!
From WPC 1620 - Backyard Nature RESULTS http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/photo_contest_ratings.jsp?pcnum=1222
Be nice, but be honest as this may help everyone with their craft. Thank you everyone!
From WPC 1620 - Backyard Nature RESULTS http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/photo_contest_ratings.jsp?pcnum=1222
As the first replier stated, ditto. Further it would have worked better as an action Video Clip. In general, a general rule of composition broken -- but I get it is is wildlife and you can't be choosy -- Don't center the bird. Would have been better with the bird more to the left bottom corner, not crowding the corner either. But, yes a stagnant shot so you could really see the bird might have been better. Perhaps taken a moment sooner or later. But great attempt. Keep at it.
May 22, 2016 07:01:45 #
jaymatt wrote:
You have a pleasing setting here with the spring blooms, but I can't say much for the bird--it is a very uncomfortable capture. The ruffled feathers headed in all directions do not compliment the bird at all and make me want to move on to another photo.
Thank you, John. I appreciate your critique.
May 22, 2016 07:02:42 #
lamiaceae wrote:
As the first replier stated, ditto. Further it would have worked better as an action Video Clip. In general, a general rule of composition broken -- but I get it is is wildlife and you can't be choosy -- Don't center the bird. Would have been better with the bird more to the left bottom corner, not crowding the corner either. But, yes a stagnant shot so you could really see the bird might have been better. Perhaps taken a moment sooner or later. But great attempt. Keep at it.
Thank you, Mike. I'll keep working at it.
May 22, 2016 08:23:21 #
Contrary to others comments, the ruffled feathers don't bother me. It's a fact of nature we don't often see. There are plenty of pictures of perfect birds.
Composition: I would have moved the bird a little more to the left and down, so that the tail aimed at the lower left corner. Right now she's facing too much to the right and off-screen.
Post-production: If you have a photo editor, I would have tweaked it a little for Brightness & Contrast.
Overall, it's a great picture.
Composition: I would have moved the bird a little more to the left and down, so that the tail aimed at the lower left corner. Right now she's facing too much to the right and off-screen.
Post-production: If you have a photo editor, I would have tweaked it a little for Brightness & Contrast.
Overall, it's a great picture.
May 22, 2016 11:53:18 #
Don Craig wrote:
Contrary to others comments, the ruffled feathers ... (show quote)
Thanks, Don. I appreciate your comments. I agree with all of you that the bird should not have been centered. I struggled with the busyness of the Red Bud tree, and thought it might have been too distracting to have more of it in the frame. I have to learn to just go with the Rule of Thirds. Thank you, also, for your comment on the ruffled feathers. I felt, as you stated, it's part of nature. I've seen lots of pictures of "perfect" bird poses, but I just kinda liked that fact that she was ruffling her feathers and her head remained fairly sharp in the photo. I have so much to learn, so thank you for taking time to comment. I appreciate it.
May 23, 2016 07:03:29 #
I like the ruffled feathers, very natural, for the conditions. There are too many "textbook" photos of birds as far as I'm concerned. Nice capture!
May 23, 2016 07:10:24 #
Patty, the only thing I would suggest for this image would be to selectively lighten the eye area. With birds and animals, eye contact is considered a must. I think the redbuds pretty much frame the bird well, and I love the ruffling of the feathers. Karl is right to say there are many textbook sort of photos of birds, and it's refreshing to view one that is different.
May 23, 2016 08:12:20 #
Carl D wrote:
I like the ruffled feathers, very natural, for the conditions. There are too many "textbook" photos of birds as far as I'm concerned. Nice capture!
Thank you, Carl. I appreciate your taking time to comment. I kinda like the ruffled feathers, too. :)
May 23, 2016 08:19:06 #
Wanda Krack wrote:
Patty, the only thing I would suggest for this image would be to selectively lighten the eye area. With birds and animals, eye contact is considered a must. I think the redbuds pretty much frame the bird well, and I love the ruffling of the feathers. Karl is right to say there are many textbook sort of photos of birds, and it's refreshing to view one that is different.
Thank you for your kind comments, Wanda. I also appreciate your advice. I've read articles that stressed the importance of the eyes, and trying to make sure they are sharp. I don't have Photoshop, but playing with some post processing is something I'm interested in. I'll have to see if the program that came with my camera can do the lightening that you suggested. Thank you!
May 23, 2016 09:07:20 #
I really like the picture!
The non centered position doesn't faze me a bit; at most the position could be perhaps a 1/2" further to the bottom left, IMHO not enough to make a difference. Remember the seventh option of the rule of thirds is to break the rule when necessary!
The only thing I noticed was that I think you cut the DOF of field pretty fine. Having the blossoms behind the Cardinal blurred is great, but the ones just to the lower right of her breast are also fuzzy, and they look to be about the same distance to the subject and to me are a distraction; I might have PP'd them out.
The non centered position doesn't faze me a bit; at most the position could be perhaps a 1/2" further to the bottom left, IMHO not enough to make a difference. Remember the seventh option of the rule of thirds is to break the rule when necessary!
The only thing I noticed was that I think you cut the DOF of field pretty fine. Having the blossoms behind the Cardinal blurred is great, but the ones just to the lower right of her breast are also fuzzy, and they look to be about the same distance to the subject and to me are a distraction; I might have PP'd them out.
May 23, 2016 09:07:43 #
I agree with Don. I think the ruffled feathers add to the photo. It's not the usual static pretty bird shot. Tail toward the corner, good idea. Also I think a faster shutter speed would have stopped the ruffled feathers giving you a sharper image of the feathers. I really like the shot. Keep up the good work.
May 23, 2016 10:19:59 #
May 23, 2016 20:40:26 #
JCam wrote:
I really like the picture! br br The non centered... (show quote)
Thank you for taking the time to comment, JCam. I really appreciate your analysis. I agree with you on the blossoms being a distraction. I checked, and I was at f/5.6, which doesn't leave a lot of wiggle room. There were so many blossoms on the tree, and whereas I liked all of the color, I was afraid they would make the picture way too busy if I increased my DOF. Some day, I do hope to learn about post processing and find a program that is user friendly. Thanks, again, for sharing your knowledge and insight. I appreciate it.
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