Is that a Prothonatory Warbler in a birdbath?!!? Awesome!!!
The mood seems quite solemn, so in my mind the feathers make a better element than red flowers in a vase.
I like the last two takes the best.
Excellent rendering of the textures in all the stonework, and great contrasts!
vungtau557 wrote:
salem lake (winston salem) early morning.
I love the "Dark and deep" allure of this photo very much! A wall hanger for sure.
This is a very striking image! Excellent exposure and contrast, good DOF and clarity, wonderful composition and subject. Love it!
Your photo brings it all back, from a visit more than 40 years ago! Thanks for sharing! It's lovely!
Lovely subject, composition and light!
In the days of SLR photography, there was less photographic productivity. Photographers rationed their photos due to film capacity limitations. Shutter activation wasn't measured in FPS, resulting in fewer photos per event or sighting. Cameras didn't allow as much experimentation with techniques, unless you had the film budget for it. And in general, photography was a less common hobby for people.
With the switch to DSLR (and mirrorless) photography, it seems everyone who wants to is out taking pictures. The number of purchase-worthy, interest-worthy, eye-worthy photos has increased by far...but I bet our willingness to spend money on such purchases hasn't kept up. After all, we only have so much wall space to exhibit photographic work. And we are more anxious to exhibit our own work in that space!
In conclusion, don't judge public appreciation of your carefully, insightfully, artistically executed work on the basis of whether it sells or not. The market is glutted. Instead, get your validation from those comments and non-verbal signals of those who do stop and look at your work!
I love the way the clouds' rim lighting sort creates a parallel line to the tree's silhouette!
Very sweet series, well done. I would be inclined to matte a series of these in one frame, and hang with pride!
Dear Shooter41,
I quite agree with you that sometimes the shot is too good to pass on, just because there is an artifact in the scene that is not natural. And sometimes an unnatural context may be the reason for the picture. (I have in mind a photo I took of a ring-necked dove who chose to nest on an outdoor light positioned 2 feet from my front door. The nest was very cozy, contrasted with the attentive dove, light fixture, and the red brick.) My point was meant to express my general personal preference on what I like to see in a photo. But rules ARE made to be broken, lol!
I have used the Nikon p950 and Canon SX60 & SX70, the first two extensively. Unless you need the upgraded pixel count of the Canon SX70, I would scratch that and go with either the p950 or SX60.
The third one is a wall hanger, IMO. Great photos, all five!
I feel that context helps a picture, so long as it is natural. Showing details that reflect the (unnatural) hand of man, such as a feeder, nesting box, structure, is a distraction that decreases my appreciation of the photo. But showing details such as a nest, leaves, natural terrain increases my interest and makes the photo more attractive to my eye.