Great Cormorant (c)

The oof wing in the foreground spoils it I suppose ...
A bit noisy in the bg and I wonder what was the ISO setting then?

Would really love to see a closeup head shot if you have it, Arthur!

KK Hui wrote:The oof wing in the foreground spoils it I suppose ...
A bit noisy in the bg and I wonder what was the ISO setting then?

Would really love to see a closeup head shot if you have it, Arthur!

Ha, a truly honest critique. Great, I love those !! Well, personally I actually rather liked the oof wing, but it's good to know that others may not. And you're right about the noise. the ISO setting was 400 (quite a dark day and not too fast a lens ), and frankly I did need quite a bit of USM to get the eye sharp. I do have a clean closeup of the head, but thought I'd upload this first because at least it's a little 'different' .

Thanks again!

Hi Arthur, I'm quite surprised you start off with this shot. I like the wing-movement...but the fact that the wing is in the same line as the neck makes it a bit distracting for me. I think an OOF wing works better if the upper-arm part would be a bit lower. How many sharp shots did you get as I had to throw most of it away due to the lack of light that afternoon... They are gorgeous birds and I'm looking forward to some of the head-shots you made.

Japper wrote:Hi Arthur, I'm quite surprised you start off with this shot. I like the wing-movement...but the fact that the wing is in the same line as the neck makes it a bit distracting for me. I think an OOF wing works better if the upper-arm part would be a bit lower. How many sharp shots did you get as I had to throw most of it away due to the lack of light that afternoon... They are gorgeous birds and I'm looking forward to some of the head-shots you made.

OK OK OK OK OK!!! I will upload a straight portrait in two days !! Seriously, thanks for your critique too! I actually liked the allignment of wing and body... hahahaha. So it's back to 'kill your darlings' again .

Cheers!

The colors are georgeous. I only wish the wing were not obstructing the view of the neck. Thanks for sharing.

Can't wait to see those head shots.

I love the head and the BG. I can't wait to see the next post!

I think the wing makes it interesting if it had been still and in focus with the head peeking over. The head is turned slightly away and the crop is little too tight I think. I am looking forward to your next post also Arthur. Looks like you found a nice bg for this guy.

Interesting attempt, this one is definitely different... Agree with what Mike said.

Arthur, looking forward to the "head-shot" post. Terrific colors on this guy, but comp is too tight on top. Congrats on trying something different!