Kingfisher reflecting in the water

[borisbelchev_bspb]

Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XTi
Exposure program Manual
ISO speed ratings ISO 400
Date/time original 07/09/2008 07:465
Shutter speed value 1/200 s
Aperture value f/4
Metering mode Partial
Focal length 300 mm

I found this photo when I was arranging my photo-archive, I hope you like it, but anyway I would be happy to get some C&C...
Cheers,
Boris Belchev :D

[Colin Driscoll]

Lovely feel about this shot! I would remove those two bright leaves in UR.

[Harshad Barve]

lovely reflections and mood here
If mine , I may brighten it up slightly and crop from left
TFS

[Randy Stout]

Boris:

Lovely capture, nice feeling, serene. The 'brush strokes" in the water are charming.

I agree with Harshad.
I felt the dark bank on the left overpowered the bird, and that he is too small in the frame. So recropped it, sharpened the birds head a bit, brightened the image a bit.

A very different look, but just an option for you.

Randy

[borisbelchev_bspb]

Thank you for Ideas guys, I like it cropped, but I am trying to crop less as possible...
P.S. this is crop to 8 mpxl (from 10pxls)

[Randy Stout]

Boris:

Cropping is always the artists choice. Depends on the message you are trying to send.

I try to do the best I can in the camera, but that isn't always enough, and sometimes as you study the image, other options present themselves.

Cheers

Randy

[david cramer]

Beautiful image and nice colors. The crop definitely improves the composition.

[Brian Barcelos]

I like the environmental feel on this one. Lovely colors and reflection. I don't mind the urc as I feel it balances out the image. I might crop some off the left though to decenter the bird.

Brian

[Connie Mier]

The fact that you captured this flighty bird in the clear is remarkable, and with a little work (per Randy's repost), you have a great shot here.

[Kiran Poonacha]

Repost looks good, nice setting here, loved the way the FG and BG merge, would have loved more space at the bottom and on top, congrats..

[David Fletcher]

This is very nice Boris. whilst cropping as mentioned, is subjective and the artists choice, the repost had enhanced the image allowing more emphasis on the elements that are attractive. Nicely done and thanks for sharing.

[Daniel Cadieux]

I like Randy's comp, but it does become a rather substantial crop if you ever decide to make a large print. Another option is to keep it horizontal but crop above just enough to hide the OOF black stuff above left, and then a bout half of the space behind the bird as most of it is just a dirty clump. I would also fix the white streak on the reflected eye. Otherwise excellent surroundings - I love the water and all the fine-streaked ripples.

[Randy Stout]

Daniel:

I tried looser crops, very similar to what you mentioned, but at least with our small web sized images, the bird was so small, not much impact for me. In a big print, a looser crop would probably fly.

Cheers

Randy

[Rob Drummond]

Like your original Boris - the vegetation on the far side adds to the sense of overhanging canopy and filtered light.

Lovely shot

cheers
Rob

[Ed Erkes]

I too like the original post best. It is hard to get a good "small bird in habitat" image that really works well--and I think yours succeeds exceptionally well. In your image the dark at the top and upper right of the frame seem to balance the the dark vegetation at the left side of the frame. The reflection of the bird and the swirling pastel yellows, browns and greens in the water really take it over the top. I don't feel that the small bright leaf and reflection in the upper right are distracting at all. It is probably only distracting to people who have been "trained" to look for this type of stuff. These people need to study the photographs of the Frans Lantings, Jim Brandenburgs, Tom Mangleson's etc.. (IMHO). Your image is diifferent (in avery positive way) than most kingfisher images that I have seen.