Opinions on dead space: When it came time to crop this osprey I was torn between two choices. Planning an 25 x 11.5 print, to maximize the bird, or to give it sky-space to "live" in.

neilds37 Loc: Port Angeles, WA

When it came time to crop this osprey I was torn between two choices. Planning an 25 x 11.5 print, to maximize the bird, or to give it sky-space to "live" in.

This is what I've come up with, but still not convinced. I'd appreciate your thoughts. Also, any other comments. I really want to do this bird justice.

(Download)

Novicus Loc: north and east

Personally I would lik to see a bit of what is beneath it , and a half a stop brighter, just my opinion :-)

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Novicus wrote:

Personally I would lik to see a bit of what is beneath it , and a half a stop brighter, just my opinion :-)

I too would take more in the bottom / below. Also, there's too much open space above. It looks like you want to 'bring in' the upper left corner to cut down the open space above and to our left of the bird. Try finding the center vertical line in the image and align the bird's eye on / near that center-thru line.

Also, run your eyes from the bird's head directly up into the sky to the top margin. There's a very clear vertical like in the sky where the noise of the sky meets some processing with less noise. You'll need to reblend this area.

neilds37 Loc: Port Angeles, WA

Novicus wrote:

Personally I would lik to see a bit of what is beneath it , and a half a stop brighter, just my opinion :-)

Thank you, Novicus. Opinions are what I'm after. The bird is in the beginning of a nest located on a new-lumber shipping pallet which I find quite unattractive and out of context. Shots from a few weeks later are showing a rather deep nest, which I'm glad to include. The sun was hitting the back-side of the bird and I've had to pull it out of dark shadow.

neilds37 Loc: Port Angeles, WA

CHG_CANON wrote:

I too would take more in the bottom / below. Also,... (show quote)

If I'm reading you right, you are suggesting a tighter crop. I thought I had all of the sky selected for noise removal, but see now I'll have to redo the entire sky. Thank you for your comments...saved a spoiled print.

magnetoman Loc: Purbeck, Dorset, UK

I too think you need more at the bottom Neil, it will balance it much better. Also , either follow chg-canon with his alignment or simply move the subject to the left until it feels ‘comfortable’. You could get away with the same left-right imbalance it has now, but reversed.

charlienow Loc: Hershey, PA

I too would like to see more of what lies beneath. There is nothing to see above. I am assuming you cropped out some of what is beneath. Depending on what is below I might even crop a tiny bit of the tip of the wing on the left to just above the wing on the right.

It would help to see the entire photo to make crop recommendations

Chuck

neilds37 Loc: Port Angeles, WA

charlienow wrote:

I too would like to see more of what lies beneath. There is nothing to see above. I am assuming you cropped out some of what is beneath. Depending on what is below I might even crop a tiny bit of the tip of the wing on the left to just above the wing on the right.

It would help to see the entire photo to make crop recommendations

Chuck

So, the entire imge...

(Download)

charlienow Loc: Hershey, PA

Now I see why you cropped the way you did. You probably got the most out of the photo you could. Nicely done.

Chuck

magnetoman Loc: Purbeck, Dorset, UK

It is a difficult choice Neil but the balance will never be right without some more of the nest support - so, why not cheat a little! Crop to where you feel it looks good, then clone out the support cross members that tend to catch the eye. It will look fine and the main subject will always take the eye. One things for sure, those cross member ends on the left cannot remain, they’re too eye-catching.
Edit: Or, leave the whole of the nest support in the frame and make the end faces of the supports look like the wood they really are. Just loose a little sky and you’ve still got a very nice shot.

neilds37 Loc: Port Angeles, WA

I just cannot convince myself that an osprey standing on a shipping pallet is something to hang on the wall. I agree with you all that it does not look right as-is. At this point I must cease deluding myself that the lack of a proper base is not that important, and either abandon this one-of-a-kind (in my collection) pose or move this moment in the lives of these two birds forward in time to when the nest is complete and can serve as a proper base.

[No typo. Both birds are represented in this image of the moment that results in the need to build a nest in the first place.]

neilds37 Loc: Port Angeles, WA

Thanks to all that gave opinions/advice on this photo. For anyone who is still with me, how does this composite work for you? It certainly looks better to me.

(Download)

10MPlayer Loc: California

neilds37 wrote:

So, the entire imge...

Much better. The context shows what's actually there. My first impression of the OP was that it was trying to hide something. The bird lives on that platform. You caught a nice shot of him in his environment. I like that.

neilds37 wrote:

Thanks to all that gave opinions/advice on this photo. For anyone who is still with me, how does this composite work for you? It certainly looks better to me.

Nope. Looks fake. I like the one you actually captured. Maybe it's not National Geographic material but it's the one you captured. Look around for another osprey nest in a more natural setting and do better next time.

Here's a shot of a nest that's been documented to exist in Canada for over 100 years. Too bad no one was home at the time. Not exactly a natural setting but it's where the birds live. (shot from a moving train so maybe not as sharp as I'd like)

(Download)

charlienow Loc: Hershey, PA

You did a good job. Much better

Chuck

neilds37 Loc: Port Angeles, WA

10MPlayer wrote:

Nope. Looks fake. I like the one you actually captured. Maybe it's not National Geographic material but it's the one you captured. Look around for another osprey nest in a more natural setting and do better next time.

Thanks, 10Mplayer. A little background for you. The pair began their nest on an active electrical power pole. Some wiser heads removed that nest and erected a bare pole about ten feet higher across the road from the power, with the shipping pallet on top. The birds had just started a new nest on it at the time of this photo. The last photo is of the new nest completed. The angle of view at the low position of the camera cuts off the lower portion of the bird, which is back from the leading edge. Looks pretty natural to me.
Cheers