Sunday Morning at SacNWR

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RecalcitrantRon

RecalcitrantRon

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A "trEAgle", Egret, Phoebe and Great Blue Heron with a hearty breakfast.


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Since IMHO a critique is best offered in the context of previous work and of the constraints of the location I took the liberty of reviewing your photos posted in a Facebook group we're both in; I'm also very familiar with Sacramento NWR having first visited in 1971: except for a couple of trails, designated parking stops and the visitor's center, photographs are from a car on the roadside where opportunities to improve composition or to work with the lighting are few and with that in mind:

The lighting on the eagle is good. It looks like you waited until the bird turned its head to just the right position for enough light on its face to show the eye and some feather detail without so much light that the white plumage is over-exposed. Well done!

The lighting on the Great Egret is more challenging. I'm finding my eye distracted by the bright morning sky reflected in the water. For the sake of those who are reading this, at SacNWR the opportunities for a lower perspective in the sloughs along the auto tour route are essentially none so given the constraints of the location this is as good as can be expected. I would have liked to see some eye contact though. Did the egret ever turn toward you?

The lighting on the Black Phoebe is much like on the eagle. As active as this species is, it's clear that you chose the moment when the bird's eye was lit. Good choice. I also like the relatively uncluttered background. The Black Phoebe doesn't alway give us this opportunity.

The Great Blue Heron's lighting is also difficult to work with. Ordinarily I struggle with patchy light through vegetation because the brightest light is seldom where I want it but in this case it's on the bird's head, exactly where it's most effective. Combining this with the breakfast makes it especially nice. The background is cluttered but at least it's not in bright sunlight. Another take-it-or-leave-it situation, no opportunities for changing perspective.
 
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I guess this is where one decides if you go for pure photography or mix in a bit of your creativity. @Doug Herr has great commentary and I will add the branch behind the Phoebe is distracting.
All of these now simple with Adobe at least: reduce the exposure on the water with the Egret, remove the branch with the Phoebe, and blur (with new Lens Blur or not) part of the Heron.

Personal choices of course - just that today is far easier and quicker than even a few years ago.
 
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Doug Herr said:
Since IMHO a critique is best offered in the context of previous work and of the constraints of the location I took the liberty of reviewing your photos posted in a Facebook group we're both in; I'm also very familiar with Sacramento NWR having first visited in 1971: except for a couple of trails, designated parking stops and the visitor's center, photographs are from a car on the roadside where opportunities to improve composition or to work with the lighting are few and with that in mind:

The lighting on the eagle is good. It looks like you waited until the bird turned its head to just the right position for enough light on its face to show the eye and some feather detail without so much light that the white plumage is over-exposed. Well done!

The lighting on the Great Egret is more challenging. I'm finding my eye distracted by the bright morning sky reflected in the water. For the sake of those who are reading this, at SacNWR the opportunities for a lower perspective in the sloughs along the auto tour route are essentially none so given the constraints of the location this is as good as can be expected. I would have liked to see some eye contact though. Did the egret ever turn toward you?

The lighting on the Black Phoebe is much like on the eagle. As active as this species is, it's clear that you chose the moment when the bird's eye was lit. Good choice. I also like the relatively uncluttered background. The Black Phoebe doesn't alway give us this opportunity.

The Great Blue Heron's lighting is also difficult to work with. Ordinarily I struggle with patchy light through vegetation because the brightest light is seldom where I want it but in this case it's on the bird's head, exactly where it's most effective. Combining this with the breakfast makes it especially nice. The background is cluttered but at least it's not in bright sunlight. Another take-it-or-leave-it situation, no opportunities for changing perspective.
Click to expand...
Thank you for taking the time to provide your insight. I really appreciate it.
 
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BarkingBeans Coffee said:
I guess this is where one decides if you go for pure photography or mix in a bit of your creativity. @Doug Herr has great commentary and I will add the branch behind the Phoebe is distracting.
All of these now simple with Adobe at least: reduce the exposure on the water with the Egret, remove the branch with the Phoebe, and blur (with new Lens Blur or not) part of the Heron.

Personal choices of course - just that today is far easier and quicker than even a few years ago.
Click to expand...
Thanks. I'm going to do some re-editing and see.
 
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