Composition Question

[PhilCook]

Just a common pair of Galahs yesterday taking advantage of the setting sun atop a big old dead tree in the local playground just down down the road.

Question .........is the composition too loose making the overall image a bit boring and worthy of not much more that the trash bin, or does it have at least some some kind of appeal to others outside of my own realm ?

My own thoughts...... it is just a pair of common Galahs, generally worthy of a better image, or/but at the same time it's a common enough scene for me here in Oz to be able to relate to it

Canon 7D + 500 f4. + 1.4 x TC.....700mm, f8, 1/1600, ISO 500, no flash, hand held.....cropped, selective sharpen and noise reduction.

Cropped image on left from jpeg file and right hand image from the RAW file

[John Chardine]

Hi Phil- I like what you did in the crop. I think the image would be stronger if you were more at eye-level with the birds.

[Diane Miller]

They're not common to me, here in northern California! (In fact, I never even heard of them...) So to me it's a strong image and I like your crop.

I might add a little more contrast to the lower bird. If it's a female and should have softer colors, you could add contrast without increasing saturation. The light is hitting it a little flatter, giving it less detail.

[Tom Graham]

First, I like better the top image because it is brighter and looks like sunshine.
But for composition I like the bottom one because I see the branches "Y" off and this I feel "joins" the two birds. That is, not two birds on two sticks but two birds sharing the tree. I like that the Y comes in at an angle, not vertical. However it is (and birds) bit too much to the left side of frame. Better position as in your crop where you have centered the birds. If re-framing the birds and Y, and the branch lower right corner still there, I'd clone it out.
Tom

[Doug West]

Another option is to take the left, cut off some of the tree from the bottom and move it down
a little so it's more in line with the bird on the right.

I would also look into cropping it so each bird is alone.

Doug

[PhilCook]

Thanks for the ideas folks, some good thoughts there.......

these birds are so very common here as a consequence not many people bother to photograph them unless the situation lends itself to a top shelf shot, as I say this was a bit boring and couldn't do much about the height of the tree. Cropping to a single bird would be good if they were closer to me and retaining lots of fine detail as a result.

I certainly agree that losing the intersection of branches was less than desirable, but leaving it in made the birds too small in the frame, tough choice....unless I hocus pocus and do something like this below...but it's really against my principals to do this much PS trickery....however......,.

[Clyde Hopper]

Hocus Pocus or Not , The repost is a much stronger photograph . A discussion on principals is a constant thing these days ,so I'll avoid opening yet one more and respect your Ideas ,but I don't see anything close to the line (so to speak) of disrespectful principals .

[Doug West]

Yeah, that repost I think is a lot stronger. I also think it gives the illusion that we're not looking up as much since
the bird on the left has been brought down some.

Doug

[John Chardine]

Phil- I forgot to say they are fantastic birds, common or not. I know they are considered a pest in Australia, but how could such an impossibly beautiful bird be a pest?!

[Jim Thomas]

Phil, I played with a couple of options just for kicks. I like the original raw actually, just cropped as a long vertical, then some major cut n paste on the second. IQ is lousy after crop job but you get the idea. I think the problems I have with the image are lack of detail and the subjects aren't engaging each other or the viewer. Like you I get the willies if i do too much PS.

Jim

[PhilCook]

Cheers Jim, the right hand image is a possible I feel but maybe a little more separation between birds....this has been an interesting exercise

[Steve Kaluski]

Question .........is the composition too loose making the overall image a bit boring

Hi Phil, my understanding is, compositionally how does the subject sit within the frame, so we can park colours, softness light etc, simply does it work?

Personally I don't have an 'issue' with the RAW, I think we quite often get things too big in frame and not allowing enough room for the subject to breathe. I quite like the idea that overall is not huge in frame as it gives a nice feel, a little 'artistic' rather than in your face, and quite often it can have more impact too, just my take.

Depending on your ethics, you could also go landscape, so the subjects can look into the area, I think your RP IMHO is just too tight on the RHS???

Cheers
Steve

[Jim Thomas]

One thing for sure, with such a clean background anything is possible ! I forgot to mention that I also cloned the right birds eye. It seems so bizarre that it's pupil was so big! Although if they're anything like my parrot the pupils go crazy when she's excited or wants to bite!.

Jim

Cheers Jim, the right hand image is a possible I feel but maybe a little more separation between birds....this has been an interesting exercise

[PhilCook]

One thing for sure, with such a clean background anything is possible ! I forgot to mention that I also cloned the right birds eye. It seems so bizarre that it's pupil was so big! Although if they're anything like my parrot the pupils go crazy when she's excited or wants to bite!.

Jim

The differences in eyes on the bird s are sexual differences, quite natural...the top bird is female with the reddish iris

[Jim Crosswell]

Here is something a little different.