Waiting For The Hangman

This group of Comorants looked quite sinister I thought, roosting on the

gallows like structure and I thought it would be a good test of my new

lens, this was taken at about 150mm focal length, but I have since used

it at 300mm with equal sharpness. Your thoughts and comments are

always appreciated. Thank You.

Alf,   The birds on the top look like stylized art work against a moody, somber sky whose heavy clouds weigh down the backdrop.  Still there are elements of light and color playing on the water that are gemlike, recurring motifs in your presentations.  The heavy clouds add a static feel in contrast to the water's ripples.  Perhaps that could seem menacing with the birds.  Remember Hitchcock's film?

Superb!! Beautiful done.

Hi dear Alf,

You shared a wonderful image with soft and delicateness colours with us!

Take care.

Best regards(Bobby).

This a wonderful find and you did expose this image remarkably and you brought up the original atmosphere along with very impressive details and an outstanding tone, the DOF maintained a very amazing details of the sky and its clouds, this is all adding to the great composition of this image.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your loved one and wishing you all of the best my friend.

Really beautiful and original work, Alf!

Very effective shot Alf....they do look sinister....the  'color' is most efffective here Alf..........lovely sheen on the water........very impressive shot...sincerely,Gail

A very effective photo, distinct, creative and aesthetic - very well observed, captured and composed. Exactly the kind of photography I do like most. Stunning contrasts of wonderfully mixed common and uncommon shapes, lines and textures. The entire scene is dipped into magical light and colors which enhance the creative and aesthetic impression effectively. 

Yesterday, I observed some ravens sitting in the very cold air on a huge power transmission line which was covered by thin ice crystals... Took some shots being a bit similar to this one here... I looked for common and uncommon features and creative combinations of them... I think we pretty often seem to have the same taste and views regarding particular genres in photography. That's good.

Best wishes,

Volker

beautiful shot!! very nice clouds and lighting. congrats

Your p/p work certainly matches the scene here with the gallows like structure displaying a sombre reminder of your title....excellent atmospheric work Alf...Regards

A highly unusual and effective work of art.  I really like the lines and texture of the tripod-like structure.  The whole thing is a perfect silhouette in bird communication.  The fact that its in the water with foreboding clouds and great warm light adds to the interest.

Very beautiful capture, with very nice color and excellent composition!!! Best regards, George

I like your "low light and low contrast landscape" taste! Dimmed light, deep shadows, silhouettes, amazong unusual shapes and nice composition here all work perfectly. A really good capture. Bravo.

Hamid.

Five birds with one shot,not bad,beautiful silhuettes and a very unusual tonality,nicely framed as well with the birds clear of the clouds,lovely work Alf,regards,Harry

Alf - I love the unusual colors in this photo - but even more I really, really like the juxtaposition of the  techno/geometric silhouette against the the soft colors and shapes of nature. It makes a very dynamic, interesting picture. I sense a real tension between the angular hardness of the "hand of man" and the natural elements that surround it.  You could actually crop the upper right portion and create a very interesting vertical shot all by itself.  Well seen and nicely executed!

Clever title for this beautiful and original capture, Alf..! I particularly love the birds' silhouettes (and that of the structure's various triangular shapes) against the subdued sunset colors... Perfectly composed too, imo. ( Although no ravens, these cormorants are black, and add to the slightly gloomy atmosphere in your capture as well ... Thanks again for your fitting Edgar Allan Poe quote  ;-)

Superb capture , amazing light , wonderful composition , great work , well done................. Best regards.

Birds photographed as silhouettes make very effective additions to an image, it highlights the shape and stance of the bird.  The tower, water and background sky are all secondary and yet provide an interesting setting for these birds to pose for your photo.  Very nice!

Jim

Really a very well done shot! Bravo!

Excellent image, well titled, Alf! Love the backlit birds on the tower, and golden light in this one. How are you liking the new lens so far? That's an excellent range for nature shots. Beautiful work guy!

All the best,
Neil

Alf,

  Excellent image with the perfect title. Take care, Patsy

Love the  interesting silhouettes against nice muted bg. which adds more classic for image and the vertical composition is exquisite also, Alf, fantastic execution!     Best regards

Humble Apologies for my late response to everyone, my internet connection failed over the weekend courtesy of AOL  Grrrrr

DONNA

Your poignant words are a delight to read as always, and yes Hitchcocks classic does strike a chord with this one, the absolute epitomy of a cause for ornithophobia. Sincere Thanks for your feedback Donna.

Best Regards

Alf

ALBERTO

Many thanks for your visit and kind words, much appreciated.

Kind Regards

Alf

BOBBY

Thank you for your interest and feedback, you are very kind!

Best Regards

Alf

RASHED

Sincere thanks for your interest and well considered thoughts, I really appreciate your feedback.

Merry Christmas and a peaceful new year to you and yours!

Best Regards

Alf

RUUD

Many thanks for your visit and encouraging words much appreciated

Kind Regards

Alf

GAIL

Thank you for your interest and thoughts, I'm glad you mentioned the "colour" : - ) , of course it's nothing like the original colour which was blue with a touch of warmth to it, but I thought an element of surrealism would be in keeping with the subject, so I fiddled around with the WB until I got this.

Best Regards

Alf

VOLKER

Sincere thanks for your visit, encouraging words and in depth analysis. The silhouetted  shapes and lines do indeed create a kind of image that has enormous appeal to me also, I'll be very interested to view the ones of the Ravens that you have described. Also I think dark birds like Crows, Ravens and even these silhouetted comorants bring thier own sense of mystery and foreboding, and have the potential to add a great deal of mood and atmosphere to a shot.

Cheers Volker!

Best Regards

Alf

JANEGBERT

Many thanks for your visit and positive feedback, much appreciated.

Best Regards

Alf

KEITH

Sincere thanks for your interest and encouraging words, I'm very pleased that the "sombre" atmosphere has been sucessfuly conveyed.

Cheers Keith!

Best Regards

Alf

LARRY

Many thanks for your visit and positive feedback. The word "unusual" is music to my ears (or eyes as I'm reading it) It is difficult to find a subject that hasn't been thoroughly explored in terms of photography, so I am delighted to find something a little bit different, and appreciate that you think so too!

Cheers Larry!

Best Regards

Alf

GEORGE

Thank you for your interest and encouraging words, much appreciated.

Best Regards

Alf

HAMID

Sincere thanks for your interest and positive feedback, a bit different from my usual landscapes, but I'm very pleased you liked it.

Best Regards

Alf

LIZ

Good to hear from you I hope you are keeping well! It was the dark shapes against the plain backdrop that appealed to me also. Many thanks for your positive feeback Liz.

Best Regards

Alf

HARRY

The first and only time I ever pulled 5 birds : - )

Thank you for your positive feedback and kind words Harry

Cheers Mate

Alf

SANDRA

Your analysis is not only very eloquent, but also describes the image as I see it also.  The original colour was pale blue, but that didn't seem to project the silhouettes as clearly as I wanted, so after some experiments with WB, this is what I come up with. Your suggested crop is also something that I considered ( great minds think alike : - )  ) and experimented with, and I did like the result, but just thought the water added to this one. Sincere Thanks for your positive feedback Sandra, much appreciated.

Best Regards

Alf

MARJOLEIN

Sincere Thanks for your thoughts and encouraging words. I think these structures are depth markers, and / or warning marks for boats, but they do look like Gallows to me. The birds are dark and sombre looking but not quite up to the Edgar Allen Poe category this lot  : - ) though they might get a job as extra's in that great Alfred Hitchcock film "The Birds". Your description of the image being"original" is particularly pleasing and I'm really pleased you liked it.

Best Regards

Alf

FALAK

Many thanks for your interest and positive feedback, much appreciated.

Kind Regards

Alf

JIM

I agree, birds as silhouettes do provide a good deal of interest and can add mood to a shot, but then I'm a lover of silhouettes in any unsual guise and the shapes that presented themself for this one, were irresisitable. Thanks Jim!

Kind Regards

Alf

MAURIZIO

Many thanks for your visit and kind words

Best Regards

Alf

NEIL

Sincere thanks for your interest and very encouraging words. The lens is proving to be really good, I haven't tried it extensively yet, but what I have tried looks good, I've got some garden bird photo's and a couple squirrel shots which look good, the only think I have found, it that at 300mm it is difficult to stop any movement at all, even when it's tripod mounted, the way round it, I have found, is to use a cable release instead of toucching the camera.

Cheers Neil

Alf

PATSY

Many thanks for your visit and kind words, yeah the title kinda fits huh

: - )  Good to hear from you Patsy!

Cheers

Alf

RICHARD

Sincere Thanks for your interest and positive feedback, much appreciated! 

Best Regards

Alf

Hi Alf, that`s a great one. Congrats.