Airborne

This is a very nice shot.

For one thing, you have placed a very good emphasis on the motif here since you have observed simplicity. The emphasis is through shape, contrast, placement of the primary point of interest in the frame. The area around the focal point is a huge resting area which rectifies the emphasis. The trees in the background could steal the visual importance if there had been more light to reveal the complexity.

What I like to point out here is the excessiveness of the cloud proportion in the frame due to the fact that the cloud lacks texture to be of any interest to the viewer. In my opinion, too much cloud has dwarfed the motif and its lacking visual interest puts a lot of restraint on the bird being relatively small in dimension.

were the bird bigger in size, the cloud could no longer put it under pressure. I suggest cropping out a portion of the cloud to lift some pressure.

cheers.

Arash,

Thank you for the fantastic critique! I really appreciate when people take so much time and care.

I was going for scale as much as anything, and have played with cropping - here's one approach to that... I'm not sure if I like it better or not, but was this your idea?

Alternate Crop

Anyway, thanks to both of you for the comments, I do appreciate it.

Donn

Now this crops work nice. I am sure you know the principle of leveling vs. sharpening ( compositionally of course. the former is created when the motif is dead center whereas the second emphasizes off-centeredness specially near the bottom left corner ( A Primer of Visual Literacy/ Dondis, Donis A./ P85 ). Dondis

states that the indecisiveness in placement of the motif such as your original version is bothersome for the viewer. Your second version has " sharpened " the motif effectively.

Thanks a lot for caring to consider my critique action-worthy.

Arash,

Thanks again, your recommendations are definitely action-worthy. Now what's interesting is that I personally like the original post better, and I think I can explain why using those same design principles that you've quoted. This original version is slightly off-center and, you're right, it is definitely a bit more unsettling this way. I prefer this, for _this_ particular image. This is not a warm, cozy "settled" scene. This is a scavenger/predator in a harsh environment. It's menacing, in an understated way. I have to admit that I tried both crops when I first made this, my solution was not chosen solely by intellectual analysis, I had to "feel" it too. But those design principles explain why I like this one better. It's a cold image, and I want you to admire the grace of flight but not be too comfortable with it.

The more I post, the more I realize that my views are often not shared. It could be that NOBODY agrees with me! But it's food for thought, anyway.

Donn

The justification that a photographer has for his action always beats all the principles that instruct otherwise. It's not a sin if a guideline is violated if you are aware of it and consciously go the other way. your reasoning is appreciated. Dondis would become happy if he saw your words since he would know he

was clearly understood. The rest is personal taste which some time breaks the rules and step beyond the bounds. That's how our art world trundles forward.