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Lifetime Member
I really like the image you have created here. It's quite unique. I like how the cardinal's head fits so nicely into that space. Exposure and details looks nice and your comp works. It's fun and different. If it were mine, I might consider a crop so that the face wouldn't be so close to the center of the frame.
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I like the framing you used here, and although I agree with Marina on the crop suggestion, I think it works fine with the entire wooded structure in the frame. The snow on top adds some character to it as well. It looks like the background was a considerable distance away - in that case you could've maybe stopped down a bit such that the same snowy top of the log was less blurry. Also the shadow on the cardinal's face bugs me a little.
However - still a great image, especially showing off your history with this bird - we all have our 'bogey birds' don't we?
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Good comments above and I like them both, the OP has a compelling look and is unique but I do like the way Marina's post cleaned up the LRHC , left edge and minimized the dominate piece of wood in the frame. The eye makes the shot for me and as you know original composition get an A+ on this site - well done. What a great moment with nature, just beautiful!!
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What I really like about your crop and miss in mine is the form of the branch.
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Hi P-A., I really like this image. It tells the story of the bird and its environment nicely. I like how the tree is providing a hiding spot for the cardinal and the upper part makes a nice s-curve as it wraps around the hidden portion. Nice work with the flash and beamer. Good comments above, I'm liking the composition as posted and agree with Marina's assessment of her crop. I think the nice form of that part of the tree really adds interest. Two things I miss about my Indiana home are cardinals and bluejays. They look so beautiful, especially against snow. I don't miss the snow much though... Good job! Remember, if you can't shoot a lot - shoot a little.
"It is an illusion that photos are made with the camera... they are made with the eye, heart, and head." - Henri Cartier Bresson
Please visit me on the web at
http://kerryperkinsphotography.com
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Thanks all for the interesting comments.
As I mentioned, I was not 100% sure with the original composition. In fact, I never am: composition is definitely the point I'm struggling the most with (well, that and finding a bird, pose, head angle, background, exposure, focus, etc... you get the idea). I think the artistic side of my brain died in college. I'm also still a bit of a slave to the central AF point and often mess up while trying to focus and recompose. Hopefully, experience should take care of that somewhere down the road.
I do like Marina's crop as well. Although I do miss the "s" shape of the branch, the position of the bird in the image is much more interesting.
I first thought about cutting some to the right and a bit to the left, but I always stick to the original 3:2 format. Considering the "usage" of my images (digital frame, computer wallpaper, and rarely prints) and my 2 exclusive customers (wife, mom), I don't like having to stretch or recrop the images if they are too "square". Maybe this is a constraint I should ignore in the future.
Which makes me wonder: what do you do with your images that are not in a "standard" format?
Kerry: I understand that you miss those 2 beautiful birds. But you still got the good side of the deal: cardinals, blue jays and snow for Southern California 
Last edited by P-A. Fortin; 01-05-2013 at 07:50 PM.
