Nice capture Hazel! I would be tempted to add a little warmth to the heron and blur the background a bit or even use a paint filter like Topaz Impression or DAP if you have one. The orange spots in the water seem too sharp to my eyes and they draw attention away from the bird. You could also lower the orange saturation just a little.
That lovely orange water attracts my eye the most. Maybe make that the main focus and put the bird in dark silhouette? If you did this, I would add more to the right and have the heron more to the left, if you have any leeway in the image. Having the heron looking out of the image would be fine, especially since this is OOTB ! And yes, this is fine for the water theme.
Worked on the silhouette idea. Kind of like the sharpness of the silhouette vs the softness of the water. Thanks for the idea. Anyone else see anything to improve? Glad to hear.
I like the second version more than the original. What a difference your processing made! You created a dramatic image, with both the heron and the water drawing attention in equal parts. I think it needs a bit of a clockwise rotation to make the lines of the fence straight. I might add a tiny bit more space on the left. There are strong diagonal lines in the image--those of the fence, and the implied line from the heron to the brightest water in upper right corner. A strong image.
Before seeing this version, I played around with it, toning down the water and brightening up the heron. But, I think I like your second version better, especially for a water theme.
Hazel, the silhouette image looks really good! I agree with Anita for a bit more space on the left. In addition to the bird, I like the graphic effect of the black rail against the moving water. Also the black upper corner balances the black of the heron and rails. The heron gives a sense of place and perspective to the water and lets us enjoy those glowing oranges. I like this a lot.
Theme?: Guarding the Water
! And yes, this is fine for the water theme.
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