mikepalo Posted June 20, 2009 Share Posted June 20, 2009 <p>I wasnt sure what catagory to put this under to i put it under equip sorry if its in the wrong place. I posted this as a critique but never got an answer so im posting it here. How would you crop this image in a 5x7 proportion? Tall? Wide? How would you position the bird and where in the frame? would you rotate at all? Please let me know what you all think. Thank you<br> <a href="http://www.photo.net/photo/9364796">http://www.photo.net/photo/9364796</a></p> <p>-Michael Palozzola</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeremy Stein Posted June 20, 2009 Share Posted June 20, 2009 <p>I wouldn't crop it at all - I'd throw it away. No matter what you do, the bird's butt is unlikely to be very interesting. Even if you were interested in it, I can't see any way to have enough image to be useful - the bird is too small in the frame. And then there's all the clutter that it would be very difficult to remove.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaeljlawson Posted June 20, 2009 Share Posted June 20, 2009 <p>Michael, It took me less than 10 minutes to clone out some branches and give it a crop. I'm not recommending this crop in particular, but this is more of a proof of concept that the branches could be removed if desired. I would clean up the branches and then crop in a manner that fits what you decided should remain in the image. I don't think there is any reason to throw it away as Jeremy suggests if you like it, and obviously we are looking at a bird flying at us, not it's rear end.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaeljlawson Posted June 20, 2009 Share Posted June 20, 2009 <p>Here's the test run:</p><div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter_wang6 Posted June 20, 2009 Share Posted June 20, 2009 <p>I too initially thought the image showed the rear of the bird but as you can clearly see in Michael L.'s crop, the bird is facing the camera.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lintrathen Posted June 20, 2009 Share Posted June 20, 2009 <p>Michael L... you've done a great job in turning nothing into something well done. Michael P, learn from what Jeremy and Peter alluded to..... the butt end of the bird! This is how others saw your shot.<br> Birds in flight are not the easiest subject.... so well done on the spontaneity of this shot.<br> Regards</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jack_welsh Posted June 20, 2009 Share Posted June 20, 2009 <p>I could tell by the wings, (the leading edge is in front. and the small triangle, which would be the tail, is behind the legs.). That, it is a frontal shot. Good work, Michael!</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDMvW Posted June 21, 2009 Share Posted June 21, 2009 <p>Yeah, I'd get rid of the really distracting vertical branches, too, and crop something like the following.</p><div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray House Posted June 21, 2009 Share Posted June 21, 2009 <p>I wouldn't clone anything out, I think its OK as is with a crop.</p><div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDMvW Posted June 21, 2009 Share Posted June 21, 2009 <p>One trouble with leaving the branches behind the bird IN is figuring out how the bird got <em>through</em> them?I'm sure it made sense in the real world, but this is a two-dimension mapping, and it just looks awkward to me.<br> It's also a little like the kid holding the vee fingers behind another kid's head.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikepalo Posted June 21, 2009 Author Share Posted June 21, 2009 <p>I appreciate all the comments and critiques from everyone who has looked so far, except those who took one look at the small frame version and deemed it to be the butt of the bird and disregarded it completely. As for how he flew through those 2 vertical branches...he didn't hehe, he took off from the pointed tip under the left wing. <br> And as far as the bird being too small in frame, I work with what I have my longest lens is a 300mm and I don't have anywhere near the cash to buy a decent longer lens so I need to work with what I have, it wont be printing any 20x30 posters but for a 8x10 print or for Online viewing there shouldn't be any issues with a heavier crop.<br> I was personally leaning more towards a vertical crop with bird in the upper third o the frame.. cropped in so his wings were most the way across from but im not sure if that sill makes the bird too small, and ive been told the bottom curving branches are too distracting.<br> Thanks again all<br> -Michael Palozzola</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markvmueller Posted June 21, 2009 Share Posted June 21, 2009 <p>How about this, for me this works best because the essence of your picture - the majestic flight of a bird of prey - is reduced to just show that. I would not mind the cut-off right wing to much.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markvmueller Posted June 21, 2009 Share Posted June 21, 2009 <p>..sorry, here's the image....</p><div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg_peterson3 Posted June 21, 2009 Share Posted June 21, 2009 <p>I'd try to keep the bird's left wing tip, but I think Mark Muller has an excelent approach.<br> -Greg</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaycob Posted June 21, 2009 Share Posted June 21, 2009 <p><img src="http://img188.imageshack.us/img188/736/9364796md.jpg" alt="" width="680" height="455" /></p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danbliss Posted June 21, 2009 Share Posted June 21, 2009 <p>I think the interesting part of the image is the interaction of the bird with the tree. I placed the bird in the upper (slightly left) part of the image using a square crop. I thought is was important to keep the light branch on the right and the strong curve of the larger lower branch. I also cooled and lightened it a bit to bring out the feathers in the wing. It is always fun to play with someone else's photo. It's all what you like I guess. Dan</p><div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keith_anderson7 Posted June 21, 2009 Share Posted June 21, 2009 <p>I like the branches in there, too. Here's my version:</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keith_anderson7 Posted June 21, 2009 Share Posted June 21, 2009 <p>I like the branches in there, too. Here's my version:</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keith_anderson7 Posted June 21, 2009 Share Posted June 21, 2009 <p>I like the branches in there, too. Here's my version:</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keith_anderson7 Posted June 21, 2009 Share Posted June 21, 2009 <p>Sorry, by browser just freaked out on me, I didn't mean to post three times without the attachment, I promise :)</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cpj Posted June 21, 2009 Share Posted June 21, 2009 <p>For what it's worth, I've been cropping photos for publication for nearly 40 years, professionally, and have a degree in photojournalism. Now that may not be worth much since the photo editor of my local daily newspaper does the worst job of cropping photo of anyone in the United States--and he gets paid for it too. Then again, I don't know if he studied the basic principles that apply to visual presentations of all sorts--including ads. <br> So, here' my version, without cloning or photoshop or anything as it is against the ethics principles of the National Press Photographers Association of which I am a long time member:</p><div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cpj Posted June 21, 2009 Share Posted June 21, 2009 <p>Note in my crop above, the eye focuses on the hawk about to land on a tree branch. Everything else is gone. Excess sky and branches have been cropped out as they are unnecessary to the thought I'm trying to express. Also note that the relationship between the angle of the bird's wings and the big branch in the foreground help to "frame" the bird and draw your eye to the subject.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmckinnon Posted June 21, 2009 Share Posted June 21, 2009 <p>I definitely find the landscape crops much more pleasing than portrait, though that's largely just personal taste.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bsd230 Posted June 21, 2009 Share Posted June 21, 2009 <p>I would agree with others clone out the branches like Michael's version.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikepalo Posted June 22, 2009 Author Share Posted June 22, 2009 <p>I know this is getting away from the 5x7 crop i prefer to use but, how about a crop like this?Do you all still feel the "goal post" branches in the back are too distracting?</p> <p>Once again tho this is not edited in any other way there is no contrast or shadows adjustments or anything im just trying to figure out a cropping that works incorperating as much of the trees as possible</p><div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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