Bosque Noontime Lunch Crowd

[Ron Boisvert]

Canon 20D w/ 70-200, f/4 @200mm, handheld
Auto Exposure, ISO 100, Aperture Priority, f/10 @ 1/250
Full Frame

I feel that there is at least one major flaw with this image as captured. If anyone else agrees or disagrees, I would love to know, and will appreciate all comments and criticism.

Thanks!

[Jay Gould]

Gosh, a new member and already we have another "tester"! ;) :D

On a serious note, I love the red brush separation between the two groups on the ground; if anything, I would like a bit more contrast. I doubt I passed your test! :o;):p

[Alfred Forns]

Sweet image Ron !!! Bosque has to be one of my favorite places !!!

You did real well with the light Tough to make an image as good as this at noon !!! I like the framing and the little extra room in front of birds, we can always hope for less merges but looks very good and the framing is excellent. Would have looked great as a horizontal !!

Tech wise would increase the ISO to 400 for increasing shutter speed/aperture !! ... btw hope you were rewarded with a great blast off !!! Big Congrats !!!

... at Bosque while I'm waiting for a blastoff and the light is harsh normally turn to blurs !!!

[Lance Peters]

Hi Ron - agree with Al's fine advise - IMHO - I would have liked to see the flying birds with the sky as the BG rather than the mountain range.
My eyes are drawn to the brightest areas of the image first and then to the contrast lines in the foreground and finally to the flying birds - which dont have enough separation and detail to really hold you attention.

There is no real point of focus - nothing that your eye can lock onto.

Must be a awesome place - ahhh one day --- looking forward to seeing more :)

[wendell westfall]

For me there is a bit more than I would like of the separation between the flying birds and those on the ground -- something you obviously can do nothing about. But since you have an abundance of birds below, I would crop the bottom of the picture halfway up that group. I think that leaves enough birds on the ground to make your point.

[Ron Boisvert]

Hey Guys, thanks for the comments!

Jay, I know you're joking, but I didn't want to say what I thought was wrong with this to influence anyone's thinking in advance. I liked this image alright, but couldn't put my finger on why it just didn't seem to be good enough. The flaw I saw is that I thought it should have a small area of foreground with no birds; water, land, grass, or whatever, to give a more polished composition. In this case, that wasn't an option as the birds came up to within feet of me, but I took the shot anyway. I almost always try to create boundaries, or space around my subjects.

Alfred, I get what you mean about the cranes merging together; I threw out tons of shots where birds overlapped and didn't look pleasing. Maybe this should be tossed too...
I've since learned not to shoot ISO 100 for just about anything, certainly not birds. I now use the Canon 50D, and noise at ISO 400 is not a problem at all. That's my normal lowest ISO now. I'll tell you what, though, you've definitely got me thinking about ISO 5000 situations!
After seeing Artie's blurs, I've experimented a little with that, but your advice about using mid-day lighting to advantage is noted. Adapt the work to the light you have at hand - understood. In the case of bright, sunny noontime shooting - shoot blurs, or take a nap!!:)

Lance, I agree about the cranes with mountains as backdrop. If you get to visit Bosque there is a blind which is a huge, wooden, 12' tall wall with many 2' square holes to point your lens through. This was shot through one of the lower ones, but not the lowest. Maybe I'll get another chance to improve on this shot this fall. I constantly have to remind myself to pay as much attention to the backgrounds as the subjects, especially when things are happening fast.
I think you hit on just what this image may have been lacking for me, but I couldn't put my finger on. No real point of focus...

Thanks for the input - I really appreciate it!

[Gus Cobos]

Hi Ron,
I like the capture...the color rendition is very good, would have liked to have seen this as a horizontal...keep them coming...:cool:

[Jay Gould]

Hi Mate, and I call you Mate because having looked at your website you I am an instant fan.

Regarding "what is wrong" postings, of course I was joking; frankly, can't think of a much better way on this wonderful Forum to be challenged. Artie does it all of the time.

Lance and Al have given me a lot to study about your image so that I try to avoid their criticisms of my images along the same lines.

My eye keeps being drawn to the burnt red brush and I know that is not the subject of your image. I still like the image overall and have learned a lot from the exercise.

Thanks for sharing one you were not sure of!

[Ron Boisvert]

Gus, I have heard on occasion, "I would like to see it as a horizontal', and have become aware of how often I have made vertical images when they should have been horizontals. I do not have a clue why I have so often seen vertical compositions, but now make a conscious effort to shoot horizontals first, and then determine if a vertical is more appropriate, mostly to break the visual habit. I wasn't thinking about how easy it is to make a horizontal into a vertical, and how much harder it can be to do the opposite. Thanks for the comments!

Jay, I'm pleased that you like my website. I have put a lot of work into it, and having done so, realize just how far I have to go to be satisfied with my photographic skills. The positive reinforcement provides more incentive to keep at it. Thanks a lot, Mate!!

[Jay Gould]

You are definitely welcome! :D

[Alfred Forns]

Ron for the blurs you need a neutral density filter I got Artie using a .9 which is three stops. Any stronger and you can't really see what is going on. Can get the filter as a screw in or drop in for the longer lenses.

Just got a variable ND from SingRay Its actually a polarizer ND into one ... and variable !!! Sweet filter !!! Will look for some blurs form Bosque and post !!!

[Ron Boisvert]

Alfred,

Thank you for sharing so much information about your techniques. I've got to start keeping a log book on your tips so I don't lose track of any of them!

I only have one blur with flying cranes that I even bothered to keep so far, and only as a reference for future attempts. I can hardly wait for fall at Bosque so I can practice the technique on the geese and cranes.

Thanks!!

[Jay Gould]

Ron for the blurs you need a neutral density filter I got Artie using a .9 which is three stops. Any stronger and you can't really see what is going on. Can get the filter as a screw in or drop in for the longer lenses.

Just got a variable ND from SingRay Its actually a polarizer ND into one ... and variable !!! Sweet filter !!! Will look for some blurs form Bosque and post !!!

Hey Bro, I am agonizing over purchasing the VariND - which one did you buy and for which lens?

Did you buy the one with the warming PL as well as the ND, or just the 8-stop ND?

[Diego Torrentes]

Hi Ron:

Beatiful image, when I see it I wish to be there. I agree with Jay and I'd like a little more contrast and also more room on the right side for the flying birds like Alfred has pointed. Keep on posting, please.

Bye,