Cormorants

[Marcos Meneghetti]

Hi, everyone

Here is a sequences of images that I took in the forest.

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Critics and sugestions are always welcome

 

[Don Cohen]

Hello Marcos,

Thanks for posting!

You have 5 images posted, and rather than trying to address them all simultaneously, let me take a comparative approach, to hopefully identify what does and doesn't work in these photos. And remember, this is just one man's opinion, and different photographers have widely varying preferences on what does and doesn't work, so take it for what it's worth.

The first image you posted is by far the strongest. There is a single, strong subject, with good sharpness and detail, coupled with a very pleasing composition. The bird has some open space to 'look' into it, the stump and the water flow around it provides some additional interest and 'flow.' This image "works"!

The second image has potentially 3 subjects, each facing in different directions, one with its head not visible, and with the additional visual distraction of a tangle of bare branches scattered about. The eye doesn't 'know' where to look, and while the exposure is reasonably accurate, and there is acceptable detail and sharpness, the picture just doesn't 'work' for me.

The third image suffers from basically the same weaknesses as the second.

The fourth has a good, solid subject, but the composition is different from the first, in that the subject seems to be rapidly swimming "out" of the frame. In addition, looking 'down' on the bird is generally not as pleasing as when you are on "eye-level" with the subject (although I realize that physical circumstances may not permit this).

The final image works almost as well as the first, with a good subject, and some interesting behavior. I would probably crop off some of the area on the left, so that the subject isn't dead-center, and if possible, try to get a lower shooting angle.

I hope this approach will be of benefit to you.

 

[Asher Kelman]

Marcos,

Congratulations in actually going out into the forrest to look for wildlife! A lot of different shots, some framing a bird closely and others more of an environmental landscape nature. I'll address just the more tightly framed pictures of the giant cormorant.

Currently, my mind is orientated to pictures in an exhibition, as opposed mementos. So allow me a more critical frame of reference, remembering that my view is only one of many that you should consider .

The birds are captivating and you've a lot of good data in the files. I have taken it upon myself to see what further riches I can bring out in a few of them. All the changes are made with just iPhoto as that's what I have on the computer at this desk right now. For RAW files, I'd do adjustments in Photoshop with layers and layer masks to make sure that each element is processed optimally for its own needed importance and rank and to fit in harmoniously in the composition as a whole. I have addressed composition, exposure, contrast, saturation and to a tiny extent sharpening which is hardly feasable on already compressed jpg images. All these parameters need to be addressed using RAW 16 BIT large gamut, (ie ProfotoRGB or Adobe RGB 1988), as 8 BIT sRGB has lost 99% of the data!

So consider these just iPhoto sketches.

So here goes:

Marcos Meneghetti

Original ​

This picture I like best as it has the most energy and interest. At the left, the water and rock edge are too esthetically captivating for the edge of an image. The bird must be the star. Ideally I'd add more water to the right, but it would take more time. Then the feature on the left would be balanced and the bird would still be the main feature. So a simple crop instead. This I do knowing perfectly wll it takes away a lot! It could be that with the RAW file and careful attention to blurring and sharp focus, we could keep the beautiful elements on the left after all. Right now, it needs balance.

Marcos Meneghetti picture

edits AK

Marcos Meneghetti

Original ​

Here again there's too much introduction on the left before the bird! So it's cropped too! It goes from bland to more interesting but other features are need such as another bird, wave action, an interesting plant feature or a low shot getting in some sky. Think of lying flat on the ground and and changing ones position. Like this, elements leave the field or are brought in. The bird without colored plumage, wing flapping, feet creating a wake as it lands or the like, one can end up with a dull boring picture. It's hard, but that's the art of photography, to make something ordinary to be seen as extraordinary. Anyone can win a prize for the assassination pictures of a dictator or rock star or a lion eating a horse, but a picture of a brown bird on a fairly still body of water is much harder!

Marcos Meneghetti picture

edits AK

Marcos Meneghetti

Original

Marcos Meneghetti picture

edits AK​

These ideas are just a suggestion in bringing out the strength of your pictures. Don Cohen, a really experienced Bird Photographer, hopefully has added his more informed point of view. Hopefully others will follow with some hints for better bird pics!

Asher

 

[Marcos Meneghetti]

Hi,

Don Cohen and Asher Kelman: Thank you so much of yours great tips. It's so incredible when I show my photos to someone that has a great knowledge about photos. You don't just critics, you also analyse the images to give me the right way to fix it. And cropping the photos help me to see (fisically speaking) where is my mistake and how to fix it.

I would say that here is not just a forum, it's a master class.

Thank you both for yours amazing critics.


Marcos Meneghetti
http://meneghettiphotography.blogspot.fr/

 

[Asher Kelman]

Hi,

Don Cohen and Asher Kelman: Thank you so much of yours great tips. It's so incredible when I show my photos to someone that has a great knowledge about photos. You don't just critics, you also analyse the images to give me the right way to fix it. And cropping the photos help me to see (fisically speaking) where is my mistake and how to fix it.

I would say that here is not just a forum, it's a master class.

Thank you both for yours amazing critics.


Marcos Meneghetti
http://meneghettiphotography.blogspot.fr/

Marcos,

We're all on journeys that seem to be parallel from some point of view, but it's all an illusion. We just have to be generous to fellow travelers! It starts with sharing images! Wait, Don or someone else might now critique my edits!

Asher