Sparrows

I took this image late in the afternoon, when the sun was bathing everything in an orange glow...so orange, that it was difficult to distinguish the sparrows from the tree. So I used Nik Silver Efex Pro to make the tree black and white. Plus...inspired by Dennis Bishop's comments on previous posts, I flipped it horizontally, which improved the image considerably (thanks, Dennis!). This image isn't exactly OOB, but it is "artsy", so I posted it here instead of in Eager To Learn. Comments and critiques are welcome.

Nice job, Wendy. I'm glad you posted it, here; it's definitely OOTB, and it's good to see another of your images. You've got some great contrasts going on: color against B&W and the texture of the birds against that wonderful bark. With the flow of the bark -- especially in what is now the upper right -- it looks like flipping was a good idea. Lightening up the black in the hole just a tad would be worth considering, I think, but this is a nice image just the way it is.

Hi Wendy, I love the way the birds pop off the screen with the desaturated bark as the background. Great idea! I might sharpen the heads of both birds just a little bit more. Nice work!

Hi, Wendy, good to see you in OOTB again.:S3: I like the contrast of the birds in color and the black and white with all the wonderful details. I agree with Andrew that the birds (especially the one on the left) could be sharpened a bit and I think you could crop a little from the bottom also. I hope we see more of your work in 2014!

I think making the tree b&w was a brilliant idea to separate the birds from the tree. The details of the tree bark show very nicely and yet do not compete with the sparrows. Nice that the sparrows are both looking the same way. I agree that the female could use a bit more sharpening.

BTW, I lived many years in Syracuse as a teenager, but left ages ago in the mid-70's.

Thank you, all, for your helpful feedback. Now that I look more closely at the birds, I agree that the female could use more sharpening. I'm on sabbatical this winter in Tel Aviv (sooo glad to be missing the winter in Syracuse!) so I'll have a little more time to indulge my creative impulses, and therefore will be able to post more in OOTB!

What I most like are the textures of the bark--they show up beautifully. Also, a pleasing composition, with the birds looking into the image. Flipping it worked really well. Others have made good suggestions. I look forward to more of your images. This one is definitely an OOTB image.