Sparrow critique please

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Gail L

Gail L

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New member here, just looking for some advice. Not a "brand new" shooter, but still need lots of help! How did I do with this shot? I also struggle with editing, so any tips anyone has for me would be appreciated. Not a very exotic shot, but I love the little guys too, lol. I have been looking around and there are some awesome photographers here - I'm hoping to learn and improve. I can take honest full critique - no fear of hurt feelings.
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Nice House Sparrow image. I like the glancing head position and bit of catchlight in the eye.

In terms of processing feedback, the first thing that jumps out is the bright background area in the upper right that pulls the eye away from your subject. That and the image is a bit bullseye centered. I'd probably try to address both with a crop that cuts out a lot of that brighter background and moves the bird's head further up in the frame.

The other things I see are more subtle:
- The face lacks pop which might be remedied with some gentle dodging or perhaps a bit of shadow recovery
- The overall image is a bit low in contrast so I might push the Clarity/Texture or Dehaze a bit (those are all versions of Contrast but more subtle)
- With an image like this with a relatively bright background I'd probably add some vignette (edge burn)
 
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DRwyoming said:
Nice House Sparrow image. I like the glancing head position and bit of catchlight in the eye.

In terms of processing feedback, the first thing that jumps out is the bright background area in the upper right that pulls the eye away from your subject. That and the image is a bit bullseye centered. I'd probably try to address both with a crop that cuts out a lot of that brighter background and moves the bird's head further up in the frame.

The other things I see are more subtle:
- The face lacks pop which might be remedied with some gentle dodging or perhaps a bit of shadow recovery
- The overall image is a bit low in contrast so I might push the Clarity/Texture or Dehaze a bit (those are all versions of Contrast but more subtle)
- With an image like this with a relatively bright background I'd probably add some vignette (edge burn)
Click to expand...
I have followed your suggestions and edited my little sparrow. I cropped to a better composition. I worked on his face a tad and also boosted clarity and dehaze a smidge on him and his branch. I also darkened the background a little to make it not so bright and lastly I added a very subtle vingnette. Better? I struggle quite a bit with editing but am learning all the time. Thanks so much for your suggestions and I hope I did OK. :)
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I like the edited version much better... I'd probably add a bit more catchlight to the eye. You said you boosted the clarity and dehaze... I really like boosting the texture slider quite a bit first and then a little bit with clarity and dehaze sliders.
 
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