Any suggestions are welcome. Looking to print on large canvas.
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Not sure I can do much more
- Thread starter gpsman
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Turberticus
Well-known member
Hope I'm not too harsh, but I'll tell you what I can observe. Too much grass on the bottom of the frame and the OOF Ibis parked in front of the Egret is very distracting. The Egret doesn't have an interesting enough pose and lacks eye contact. It's a good documentation shot showing its habitat .Just my opinion of course.
Palouse
Well-known member
The vegetation in the upper left could/should be removed.
raptor photo
Well-known member
Sorry, but it just doesn't work. Very harsh light and no critical details. The foreground grass is distracting.
Thanks for the feedback. I’ll keep working on it. It is a challenge though.
It's a good "almost." I have plenty. The idea of the light colored and dark colored birds crossing paths is a good one. With the removal of the one tall grass it could help, but if they both were sharp it would be better, and the dark one brought up in brightness to reveal more detail.
PhotoLover
Well-known member
I know what it's like when a picture's subject/composition really work for you ... but there are problems and one can't seem to fix them.
I think the biggest problem is that the natural light just isn't good enough, and it is really hard to fix bad natural light. The side of the egret is harshly lit, but the light doesn't give you much detail on the front of the bird, or on the ibis. So, harsh light not really coming from the direction you need. What time of day was this picture shot?
And as others have noted, there is probably too much grass.
If I was trying to fix it, I'd lower the overall exposure and the highlights to keep from blowing the highlights on the side of the egret's head. I'd try and bring up just the ibis brightness to see what detail was there, without brightening the grass. If after that last step the ibis was actually in focus and there was some detail (can't really determine that from the compressed jpeg with the bird so dark, but it looks sorta out of focus to me) I might keep trying. If the ibis looked bad (and .. I think it will) I would definitely throw in the towel.
I've almost never been able to salvage a picture where the light was bad, though I used to waste a lot of time trying. Now I give up faster ... was this shot in RAW mode, or jpeg? If it wasn't shot in RAW mode, I'd give up immediately.
As for the two birds both acting as subjects, it can be difficult to get multiple critters in focus unless they are really in the same focal plane, or you have an awful lot of DOF. I have a number of almost interesting shots where one bird was in focus and another bird ... just wasn't. And it simply didn't work.
I think the biggest problem is that the natural light just isn't good enough, and it is really hard to fix bad natural light. The side of the egret is harshly lit, but the light doesn't give you much detail on the front of the bird, or on the ibis. So, harsh light not really coming from the direction you need. What time of day was this picture shot?
And as others have noted, there is probably too much grass.
If I was trying to fix it, I'd lower the overall exposure and the highlights to keep from blowing the highlights on the side of the egret's head. I'd try and bring up just the ibis brightness to see what detail was there, without brightening the grass. If after that last step the ibis was actually in focus and there was some detail (can't really determine that from the compressed jpeg with the bird so dark, but it looks sorta out of focus to me) I might keep trying. If the ibis looked bad (and .. I think it will) I would definitely throw in the towel.
I've almost never been able to salvage a picture where the light was bad, though I used to waste a lot of time trying. Now I give up faster ... was this shot in RAW mode, or jpeg? If it wasn't shot in RAW mode, I'd give up immediately.
As for the two birds both acting as subjects, it can be difficult to get multiple critters in focus unless they are really in the same focal plane, or you have an awful lot of DOF. I have a number of almost interesting shots where one bird was in focus and another bird ... just wasn't. And it simply didn't work.
Can I assume this is a photo you just took? There is a phenomenon where when we first get back from a shoot and look at a photo we are excited because the experience is fresh in our mind. Viewing the photo recalls the feeling of being out there on location, and the emotional connection makes the photo more meaningful to us than it would be to an outside observer. I have found it helps to wait a while (a month, a couple months) then look at a photo again before printing it. If it strikes you after that time as just as strong then go ahead and print. But if not, you may find with time away from the immediate shoot that it is not as strong as you first thought.
Only you can decide which is the case with this photo. It's yours too look at and if you feel you would enjoy looking at it as a big print for a prolonged period, then go ahead and make the print. I can say viewing this as an outsider that it is not an image I would print (for all of the reasons listed by others), but just because I would not does not mean necessarily that you should not.
Only you can decide which is the case with this photo. It's yours too look at and if you feel you would enjoy looking at it as a big print for a prolonged period, then go ahead and make the print. I can say viewing this as an outsider that it is not an image I would print (for all of the reasons listed by others), but just because I would not does not mean necessarily that you should not.
raptor photo
Well-known member
Yup! I always wait at least 2 weeks before editing, and find myself deleting way more than usual.
...Daniel...
Well-known member
Just one tip if you decide to print after some eventual changes.
Look for sensor spots and other small dots that can be distracting, once you see them you will always se the in the print...
Look for sensor spots and other small dots that can be distracting, once you see them you will always se the in the print...