St3v3M Loc: 35,000 feet

br3kes has volunteered their WPC 1431 - Birds entry to the Photo Critique Forum* to find out what could have done to make it better. Be nice, but be honest as this will help everyone with their craft. Thank you br3kes and thank you everyone!

From WPC 1431 - Birds RESULTS http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/photo_contest_ratings.jsp?pcnum=130

* If you are new to the Photo Critique Forum please read the Section Rules http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-159520-1.html

Yellow Crowned Night Heron

(Download)

SonyA580 Loc: FL in the winter & MN in the summer

Exposure, composure, color, contrast and focus are right on (except for the area at the bottom??). The little weeds crossing the subject, especially in the area of the beak, are annoying. With some careful PP work you should be able to get rid of them.

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

Very pretty setting, nice depth of field, and you caught its cool profile. In a perfect world, the beak wouldn't have flower obstructing, and the eye would not be in shadow :)

Uuglypher Loc: South Dakota (East River)

The closest to in-good-focus is the heron, but even that, within the shallow DOF, is a bit soft and suggests some camera movement. The plant stems and infloresences on the near side of the DOF overlap the subject to a distracting degree. While I'm not one to go ballistic over the occasional over-lapping stem or twig in an informal environmental wildlife portrait such as this one, there is just too much of it here. There is just too much competition between environmental elements ...on both sides of the DOF...and the subject.
Exposure and contrast is appropriate for the pattern of this night heron and even if an occasional pixel might hit 255 in the crown or the alula of the near wing , it's no BFHD - as Garfield would say - in this image.

This is the sort of image that testifies to the merits of "working the scene" ...which in wildlife imaging means simply having the patience for the subject to arrange itself more appropriately within its immediate environment. Sometimes it happens; often not. Luck of the draw, but sometimes well wort the waiting.

Dave in SD

Nightski

I completely agree with Linda's assessment and I'd like to add that you have some really beautiful color in this photograph.

br3kes Loc: Tarentum PA

Thank you all sooo much for your honesty. I have so much more to learn and it helps to have honest CC.