I think this image would be much stronger with just the one crane. The one in the BG is distracting while the one in the Fg is magnificent. Easy to fix.
Good job, Art. I really like the graduated pastel BG. Good detail in the near bird but has a strongly flashed look. I would lighten the shadow of the breast on the far wing and fix the eye to reduce the flashed look. I can see Joe's point and think a version without the second bird would work very well. I do however like this as presented. The fact that the 2 birds are almost identical in pose gives the impression of the 2nd bird being the disembodied shadow of the first and adds a dimension of depth to the image. I will be interested in other opinions.
I think this works very well with the two birds. However, the tight crop above the top bird gives the impression that it's a bit of an afterthought. Adding some canvas there might work well. Also the lower BG is warm but the lower bird is cold due to flash. A warming filter may be a consideration.
I have to say I love the aesthetics of this image. The composition and overall feel it gives is wonderful. For this reason I hesitate to provide a quick repost but here it is anyway- provided to illustrate what I've suggested above.
Love the two toned sky. I am OK with the 2nd bird. The near wing position of the lower bird is less than ideal. The flash EXP is good.
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