Sandhill Sunrise

[Dan Wolin]

This is my first post on this forum (I know a number of you though:D). I am fortunate to live in a Sandhill Crane migration area and in the late fall I am out every weekend shooting. This particular day I found these two looking in opposite directions as the sun came up nicely backlit. I did not process it until about a year after I shot it for some reason but it has turned out to be one of my favorites.

MKIII, 500f/4 handheld, iso 500, f8

[Scott Frye]

I like the trees just barely outlined the background and the overall colors are relaxing. I would crop some grass from the bottom and I am thinking that some straightening would help the composition.

[Daniel Cadieux]

Welcome aboard Dan!

Nice! I see why you would love this one. I too love the faint tree outlines in the BG, and I agree the image seems to need a very tiny bit of rotation (CCW). IMO the image would be strenghtened with the birds even darker, and the WB warmed up some more. With the cranes looking in opposite directions the centered comp works very well. Way to go, and hope to see more from you!!

[Dan Wolin]

Thanks Scott - the hill actually drops off to the left and I decided to leave it - I tried leveling it and the background looked odd so I left it.

[Randy Stout]

Dan:

Welcome on board. I am located near Augusta, perhaps our paths have crossed, and I just didn't know it.

Daniel has made his usual good suggestions, and I submit my repost as a synthesis of his ideas and my own take.

I don't think the large area of grass in the foreground adds much. You want enough for the legs/feet, but the story to my eye are the birds, and the interesting background.

The image is quality (in the repost) is suffering here, with posterization creeping in, but I think the idea comes through. To me, the balance between the birds and the background is critical, and I may have gone a smidge too dark, on the background, but wanted to make the point.

Cheers

Randy

[Axel Hildebrandt]

Welcome to BPN, Dan! Great first post. I like the soft light, silhouettes and faint trees in the BG. Does it need a tad CCW rotation? I find Randy's idea interesting, but prefer the original. Keep them coming.

[Dan Fleming]

Hi Dan,

Great first name. Welcome to BPN! I agree with what's been said. I like the image very much especially the bg.I do like the repost. Keep them coming.

Dan

[allanrube]

I like the idea of cropping from the bottom - I like the original better as part of the image strength is variations of brown-yellow which isn't nearly as strong in the re-post.

[Raymond Barlow]

Wow Dan, you best I have seen, superb image., I would say I like Randy's edit, but without being there, I would not know how this shot should look.

[Dan Wolin]

Thanks all - I have printed this image using a few different crops and each give the image a different look. Thanks for the suggestions.

[Kaustubh Deshpande]

Welcome to BPN. beautiful compostion, poses and the BG. My suggestions wud be (a) make the cranes pure black (b) rotate and level (c) crop some from bottom. As Daniel, suggested, some warming will make it better but I like it as-is a lot too. More natural this way I think.