You found some nice light on this cute little bird. Unfortunately, the subject is so small in the frame that a crop will show up any less-than-ideal image quality. It's hard to tell from the small JPEGs posted here, but the bird doesn't have that quality of jumping-out-at-you sharp, which can be caused by many things. A longer focal length gives you the best chances for small birds, along with the best technique for avoiding any camera or subject motion.
It looks like you might have been trying to adhere to the rule of thirds here, but it's only a guideline and isn't always the best. There isn't a lot of interest in the right part of the image to balance the bird, which makes it feel a bit too pushed to the left. Have a look at removing some from the bottom and right, and leaving a little more on the left, and see what you think.
Hi Sam, Lovely soft light and a cute little bird giving you a bit of a look. Agree with Diane, (of course!) about the crop. I do find the BG a little distracting.
Find this a bit difficult with nice light on the left then a lot of dull space on the right, think Diane's idea is sound certainly worth experimenting with.
Thank you for your answers.
I have tried different crops, which one do you prefer? (click to enlarge)
#1
same size, window moved to the left
#2
cropped more
#3
original size, bird in the center of the frame
#4
vertical, bird to the top
Personally, I'm quite fond of #1 and #2.
Cropping more obviously emphasizes the sharpness issues, but I still don't find that too bad, in this case. I don't think I need to tell you that I would love to have a longer focal...
Last edited by Rachel Hollander; 02-03-2016 at 06:01 PM.
Reason: To reduce number of images posted
Lot of options here. I think I lean to #2. #4 with a little more off the top and bottom could be nice, too, if you aren't committed to a specific aspect ratio. (I'll always go wit what fits the subject.) What matters is what you like!
I see it has been put in Moderation status but when I try to approve it, the software says I didn't select an approved thread. I'll ask a supermod of they can fix it, but I suspect by posting all these pictures in one thread you triggered some sort of spam detection in the software. The rule here is one image per post, but sometimes people do 2 or 3 -- especially in ETL, where it is for learning.
Oh :o
I assumed this was a limitation on the number of pictures hosted on the website. I should have paid more attention :/
Please tell me if it's not accepted, I'll write a new post with only one or two ;)
I've forwarded the issue to the Mod Squad, where someone should be able to fix it when they see the message. In the future I'd just limit it one or two images -- one for the initial critique and then 1-2 variations for subsequent comments. That doesn't seem to have caused any problems, although it does make it difficult to compare several crops...
Hi Samuel and Diane - I reduced the number of crop options to four since those were the ones you were discussing. As Diane said, normally 1 or 2 alternatives would be preferred.
The thread appears open but let me know if there continues to be a problem.
Snow bunting
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