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Inspiring and Supporting Photographers of Australian Birds

White-faced Heron

Photographed by

Doug Wilson on Tue 27th Apr, 2021 and uploaded on Mon 3rd May, 2021 .

Resolution

1800x1201

Viewed

787

45962

Comment

A White -faced Heron takes off from a small muddy dam. Is this worth submitting? Is it good enough or just a waste of time? I struggle to know which shots to submit. This is one I am quite unsure about.

Equipment

Canon 90D with Canon EF 100-400 mm L IS II USM, f/5.6, 1/4000 sec, ISO 1600.

Location

Ballarat, Vic, Victoria

Keywords

in flight, adult

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Glenn Pure	2021-05-04 13:32:21	Hi Douglas, for the moment, this isn't a critique but a request to contact us (via email: [email protected]) as one of our moderators is having trouble contacting you. Please provide us with your current contact details (phone, email). Sorry for this unusual request but we've been unable to contact you via other means. (For privacy reasons, please don't post your details as a reply here - use the email address above to send your details).
Glenn Pure	2021-05-05 12:00:03	Hi Douglas, I can see why this situation and photo may have attracted your attention. I like the muddy droplets trailing off the bird's feet and the direction of flight slightly angled towards you works well. The background is quite interesting although I find it quite distracting in this shot. The strong directional light has created strong contrast and fairly deep shadows on the bird although it might be possible to work on these. This type of lighting is usually difficult at the best of times though. I notice the drops of water splashing from the legs are sharp but the head of the bird is starting to look a little soft as I think the focus point was a little behind the plane of the bird's head. Overall, it's your choice whether to post this to our general New Images gallery. One way to help you work it out is to look at other photos of this species in our image library, particularly flight shots, and try to objectively assess how yours compares. One of the most valuable skills is being able to be as objective as possible when assessing your own work and being methodical in assessing strengths and weaknesses. In particular, by doing this you can work out aspects that might need attention or work in developing your own photography. If you do an internet search on how to judge nature photography, you should get some tips and what to look out for if you are unsure.
Douglas Wilson	2021-05-06 13:06:33	Thanks Glenn, I am very new to this and no doubt I will eventually develop a more self-critical eye. I will use your suggestions and keep trying to develop my skills. Doug.
Graham Cam	2021-05-23 10:25:12	Hi Doug, In writing critiques for this gallery, I do not read the comments from other members; the reason for this is to ensure an unbiased appraisal of your image. Further, I adopt the same strategy as when judging at regional camera clubs; the positive aspects of the image are discussed first, followed by suggestions for improving the image. Love the background bokeh, beautifully textured and bi-toned; such a refreshing change for the out-of-focus bokehs which most of us seek in our images. There is always a challenge to produce a creative and interesting background, whilst not introducing a complexity that is ‘busy’ and distracting. Well seen and well captured! The action of the bird taking flight is a positive element and the coloured water droplets, either sand or mud is also a pleasant change from other images. The late evening light highlights the crown of the bird and the legs but does little to enhance the body and wings of the bird. I question why you used 1/4000s at f5.6, ISO 1600. Panning with this bird as would appear possible 1/2500s would have been more than sufficient, enabling a greater depth of field and/or lower ISO for better resolution and reduced digital noise. Remember that an increase in ISO above the baselevel rating for the sensor enhances digital noise. The digital noise in this image is however, well controlled. A negative element in the image is the partial head of the bird in the lower right-hand corner of the image. I know why this element is in the image – a more judicious crop would have impacted the ‘wavelets’ emanating from the take-off point. How might this image be improved? The current crop has compromised this part of the image by truncating the ‘wavelet’ effect; I strongly suggest learning how to remove distracting elements in Photoshop. Lightroom can also remove such elements but in general I find PS produces a far more seamless outcome than LR. Try LR first and if unsatisfactory use PS. As to the bird. In this image the furthest wing is the more critical element, rather than the forewing, which is in shadow by virtue of the direction of light. Unfortunately, the detail in the furthest wing is soft due to the shallow depth of field, which I addressed above. If the detail had been greater, I would have suggested a mask on this part of the image to highlight and brighten the underwing. Is the image sufficiently sharp to spend more time editing? – I will leave this to Canon shooters, who also use DPP. Is the image of sufficient quality for display? The bokeh is nice in my opinion, the action is good, the sharpness and contrast/brightness in the bird is Ok – an average standard. As a new member, it would be unreasonable to expect a standard equivalent from those of us who have been photographing birds for decades, so yes, I think your image is suitable for uploading to the digital library once the distracting element and ‘wavelet’ comment are addressed. Trust my comments are useful. Kind Regards, Graham Cam
Graeme Chapman	2021-10-02 10:31:56	Shadows and highlights in Photoshop works wonders on this pic

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	203/283 in Critique Gallery
	17/198 by Doug Wilson
	153/262 of White-faced Heron
	751/1289 of Herons, Egrets and Bitterns
	21927/34374 Overall
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