no way!!! it actually frames the bird quite nicely for me. personally, i think if it doesnt intersect the bird at a key point, there is no harm. you could always clone it out and see if it works better for you, but i dont think it is necessary here. nice image, btw!! the bg colors are awesome and compliment the bird quite nicely.
A little distracting but certainly not a throw away! Personally I think the branch in front is more distracting and that can easily be removed. The exposure looks pretty perfect to me.
Hi John - Lovley image - except for the afore mentioned stick?? The foreground stick is a little distracting and could be removed in P.S. - I personaly choose not to do much removal in P.S. I would rather try and get he shot in camera.
The removal would certainly make it a keeper - IMHO - As is I would keep until I had the shot to replace it with.
:)
No, the branch in front does not kill the image.
Yes, it would be better if the branch is more to right so it does intersect less or not intersect the bird and still help in framing the image.
Love the details and the exposure, I don't mind about the OOF branches.
I think it depends. If it's for birding magazines, a photo for use as a report rather than showcasing the beauty of the scene/bird, then it's a fine image. To many people, i.e., everyone except the most serious photographers, this actually could be an excellent image. And, to many here...you knew the answer :)
John - thanks for posting this image and asking the question. The image reminds me that the 'best' images are as simple as possible and that everything in the image is there to contribute to the image. To me the oof branches frame the siskin and thus support the image, but the front branch really vies with the bird for our visual attention thus spoils the image.
For myself, I think I too often I fail to plan an avian image; instead I so happy to get the bird in the open that I grab the image without sufficient preparation prior to clicking.
Thanks again for the post
Cheers
Gail
Good question. I think it does not always kill it. Had it been as soft as the lower right branch, it would hurt. By that same token, the OOF branch is not a problem here, nor is the branch that covers the bird.
But I am still getting used to the BAA look. The level of perfection here is a major step above what I have become used to.
Thanks for all the great comments. No need to remove the branch in post processing as I made many images of this bird that day and have lots without any interference. It would be a good exercise in Photoshop though!
I was prompted to post by Lance's head angle post but another reason was that last weekend I was an invited artist at a local Eco-Arts Festival. I had a running slide show installation on "Wet Birds" (= waterbirds) and presented an illustrated talk on the elements of good wildlife photography. In the talk I showed this image as an example of what to try to avoid. After, a photographer friend came up and commented that he really liked the image and that the branch for him was a plus because of the framing effect.
Anyway it got me thinking- can any of these sorts of images be salvaged without having to do major processing (which I try to avoid)? I think the answer from all the posts above is that some may be usable but ultimately it should be avoided.
Ben hit the nail on the head I think when he mentioned the "level of perfection" that is demanded by teachers here at BPN, which rubs off on all of us and ultimately makes us better photographers. We are more sensitive to branches in front of our subjects and other image features that to others, even other photographers (but not BPN photographers!) would not be noticeable, or at least considered unimportant.
Last edited by John Chardine; 09-19-2009 at 07:07 AM.
In this case, I think it detracts but does not kill the image. In other words, I'd be happy I had others without the branch but I would also keep this one. In other similar cases, I think it could kill the image. What saves this one from the trash can for me is that the branch is relatively thin, intersects the bird well away from the head, is in focus, echoes the branch on the left, and blends well with the background. If not for all of those things coming together, it would be much more likely to end up in the trash.
another way to kill an image?
2 AM
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