t37traveler

Tony-

I threw this one up for critique because it completely pushed the limits of my equipment. I shot it late at night and walked along the shore parallel to the heron, trying to herd him toward a pole light in the marina that cast enough light that I could actually focus. The flash caught the feathered part of the bird; his legs end at the waterline as he was wading at low tide. I had a bit of photographer's luck in that the most interesting pose turned out to be the one that came out. I do all my work on a Mac Powerbook; if can tilt your monitor, you can see a faint shadow of the legs in the water, but not much, and this picture is pretty much what it looked like. He was extremely wary - did not like that bright burst of light! I kinda like this photo because the bird looks like he's floating in space (maybe a double amputee floating in space). I always appreciate comments - all photos have their ying and yang : )

Tony - this is simply breath-taking!! The reflected sunset in the water, the crisp detail in the heron and the autumnal hues that play off one another all equal 7+/7+ this one is in my faovrites file as soon as I finish my comment. PS - I like the rocks in the foreground slightly out of focus - I think that transitions beautifully to the water textures and makes the tack sharp heron stand out even more.

Exquisite! Delicate... ethereal... a pastral winter fantasy. I would make it my Christmas card! 7+/7+

Marc-

 

This is a beautiful photograph. Love the lights, colors and composition. This one gets a 7/7 in my book. Your landscapes are lovely, too. Seeing your gallery, I KNOW your bird shots will "get there" as well!

HI. Welcome to PN Nature. This entire site a great place to browse, comment and learn! Birds are tough shots, no doubt about it. Comments on your pic: first the "negative" - the bird is the focal point, but it is facing away from the camera (sometimes that's OK) but not when it occupies a small piece of the frame of the whole picture. The entire top 1/3 of the picture is dark green empty space that adds nothing to the photograph. Crop that part out, and your focal point immediately occupies a much larger portion of the picture. Next, I don't know how you shoot (manual or auto exposure), but your depth of field on this is too narrow. The tail and back feathers are in good focus; the heron's head is not. Use a smaller aperture (higher # f stop) and shoot manual exposure to get better depth of field (and color), thus making your entire subject sharp. Since he is facing away from the camera, it is even more important to have that depth of field as the viewer wants to look at his head. You have nice lighting on the beak, but it is not quite as sharp as the rest of the heron. Which leads to my next comment, your lighting on the bird is very nice (which also reinforces the need to have that sunlit beak sharply focused.) I don't know what kind of camera or lens you use, but I can tell you that getting good bird shots without a telephoto lens is extremely difficult. I have a 70-300 zoom telephoto, and it is barely adequate. I yearn for a 400! I have some bird shots (some herons in fact) on my gallery that I took with my telephoto. The focal lengths I used are in the technical info under the details tab. Check them out if you'd like and you'll see what I mean about getting close and filling the frame. Blue Herons in particular tend to be very wary in my experience. And keep on shooting!

Dramatic, crisp, unusual. Very well done! 7/7

A perfect picture for black and white and for a square crop. Wonderful contrast and composition. It looks like an ice storm.

Nice shot! I like the neutral tones, the lighting, the cracks in the ice and the boat frozen in time - pointing down stream... awaiting the promise of flowing water (are the ice cracks a portent?) The manner in which your composition leads the eye to the vanishing point of the stream is very well done. This photo is one which the viewer can contemplate and wonder - is winter coming, or going.

I love the color of the sky with the green of the prairies, and the tree silhouettes are wonderful. The highlight of the photo is the sky with the tree silhouettes. I think you should crop about 75% of the prairie grass out of the picture. It's just too much foreground that is not nearly as interesting as the focal point of the picture, therefore, shouldn't dominate the space.

 

Nice color combination! Blurred green background is very (or should I say "berry"?) effective!

Interesting shot, but I think that the out-of-focus leaf in the foreground demands too much attention. I would try cropping about 25% off the right side and some off the top to maintain the rectangular balance. JMHO.

Laura-

I think your lighting and exposure on the white horse is execellnt; you have captured his spirit. Unfortunately, the murky background competes for attention, especially the tree that is directly behind him and appears to be growing out of his rump, even though we know that isn't the case. It would be better to completely darken or to blur the background so that your subjects fully commands the viewer's attention. Welcome to the site; I'e been here since Dec. 29 and love it.

 

Beautiful use of contrast between texture and lack of texture, between primary color and neutral tones. The colors shape, texture and simplicity allow the eye to flow over the picture. I do not mind the centerline dip on the hill because my vision was following the downward slope of the hill. I like the use of triangular space in photos; I think that shape is a good way to divide large spaces and to keep the eye flowing. Here the various triangles found in the "W" pattern of the dunes keeps the picture from being routine and boring; I think it anchors it. For me, the grasses anchor and accent the triangular spaces. It is a pleasure to contemplate this photo.

Comments/suggestions welcomed. Thanks.

Shot this on an overcast, drizzly afternoon in Lake Worth. Comments/suggestions

appreciated. Thanks.

Any comments/suggestions welcome. Thanks for taking the time.

Me gustan mucho la luz, los colores,y tambien la composicion Magnifico. 7+/7+

I think you should call this one "What a Catch!" - not because of the heron per se, but because you got the shot! Fabulous detail,exposure,and...timing. Nicely done! 7/7

Here I go again - more photos of fading flowers. Comments/suggestions appreciated.

Thanks.

I don't like to shoot in high sun, but this Great Egret was parading the dock on a very

windy day looking a bit stressed. The harsh delineation between shadow and extreme

(OK, blown-out) light on his long neck seem to me to add an a most comic-book touch

to the "portrait" Does it work? Comments/suggestions please, and thank you.

This orphaned, born-feral kitty landed in the lap of a hopeless cat lover. Big, (17lbs.)

smart (he sits and speaks on command) and full of personality (look at those eyes, -

and he eats bird seed), Mischief is one of my favorite photo subjects; capturing his

personality and moods on camera is a favorite pastime.

Any comments/suggestions appreciated.

Nice stop action on the water!!!! I love the monochromatic tones and the renegade sprig of oak leaves accenting the rocks. Very nice piece of work! 7/7 and added to my favorites.

Stunning simplicity! I love it. The bee is like the cherry on the sundae - it adds that special touch. Beautiful use of color, great detail. Yellow is a happy color; maybe that' why this photo literally makes me smile.

Nice detail. The dove color is striking against the black background. Very nice work.