Vulture Call

Hope all my vulture pics aren't getting boring:e3

Oribi Gorge, Kwa Zulu Natal, South Africa
R5
600 f4 ii
TC 2 iii
1200mm
1/4000
f8
iso 1600
sticks with gimbal
DXO Raw, Topaz Sharpen, LRCAttachment 190931

Wayne:

I like the calling pose, the sense of a high rocky perch. I don't know this bird, but might consider toning down the exposure just a bit.

I do find the large OOF rock area just in front of the birds a bit overpowering. It is very large in the frame and bright enough to draw the eye away from the subject. Perhaps toning down the brightness of that area and reducing the contrast a bit would help keep our eye on the subject.

Cheers

Randy

Wayne I would suggest put the image on the screen, close your eyes then blink. What was your impression? Also on your computer look at the image in PSCC then invert it ..... how does it look?
Maybe the wings are very bright, maybe there is a very large and dark patch in the image.
If you agree then maybe consider minimising the impact of both elements.
Hope this helps?

Hey Randy and Jonathan,

Points well taken thank you for your guidance, relooked and touched the picAttachment 190937

The re-post is much better Wayne. I like the "call" pose here. Could the image survive a bigger crop...in order to remove some of the background right side rock, and place more focus on the birds?

Hi Wayne ... the image has some interest . For me it is the calling bird on the rocky outcrop . Wish the first bird was calling ... plus the bird would be turned a bit more towards the viewer . I do like the good isolation from the BG ... but think the large daed space is not ideal specially with that large dark shadow.
Do you have more space on LHS ??? For me it feels a bit tight .

The OP is a bit bright in the HL and 1/4 tones .... which is solved in the RP . Personally I would have toned down only the brighter spectrum of tones .... just a matter of taste .

TFS Andreas

Hey Paul and Andreas,

Thanks for your valued input, added a bigger crop what do you think?Attachment 190938

Then took it a step further and cropped the shadow out completelyAttachment 190939

The crop works for me Wayne. In an ideal world you would be closer to the birds to start with and with less harsh lighting. Some might argue that a less distracting background would be better...it's always an important consideration IMHO. Looking forward to seeing more of your work. Cheers.

The setting is sure something you don't see everyday. Nice job framing the birds.

Hey Paul and John,

Thank you for commenting your input is appreciated