Loggerhead Shrike

[WIlliam Maroldo]

SonyA700~Sony70-400G@400mm~ISO800~F6.3~1/1250 sec~manual exposure~12-31-2009~ Houston, Texas~CS4
For some reason I liked this one I shot today, perhaps the overall simplicity?
comments and critique welcomed. regards~Bill

My images posted at BPN (mostly at OOTB)
My 2009 Snowy Egret Collection

[Tony Whitehead]

I can see why you like this, Bill. The lines and simplicity of the twigs and leaves is beautiful. Wondering if a bit on selective sharpening on the face and eyes of the bird would be helpful.

[Stu Bowie]

I like the direct eye contact Bill, together with the space. I agree with Tony regarding the sharpening.

[Allen Sparks]

I like the bird perched over the branches and the space. Also can see both eyes clearly with a head on view. nice.

[denise ippolito]

Bill, Nice image design. It has a really nice high key look. I agree w/ a bit more sharpening.

[Tony Whitehead]

Bill, I couldn't resist looking at your image again. Tried a version pushing the BG whiter and darkening the blacks a little.

[Axel Hildebrandt]

I like the setting and composition and only wish for a different head angle. Do you have some in this series with the head slightly angled toward you?

[WIlliam Maroldo]

Thanks for the feedback, and really like your version Tony! Overcast day, and I often forget to compensate by increasing contrast PP, which includes the blacks and whites that the soft light sort of eliminates.
Axel: I do have some with the head angled, but the straight forward glance fit with the images over all simplicity.
Selective sharpening of the bird seems reasonable; the only sharpening was with the downsampling in PS.
regards~Bill

[Daniel Belasco]

An excellent image to work with. I like the crop with the branches and leaves and the bird on the left.
I like Tony's repost I would lighten around the eye and sharpen the eye/beak also. I don't know what the bird looks like in the wild, but better defination is what need around the eye. The HA looking straight at you is different but I would have like the HA looking left towards the rest of the image.

In a composition you want the eye of the viewer to more around the image without pausing too much or going off the image. Since you have so much additional image on the left the bird doesn't point that way. When my eye moves around the image and stops on the bird--then I stop too long as the bird is looking straight at me and I'm looking straight back. So something need to take your eye to the left. If the bird doesn't point left then a branch or left or something was needed to take the viewer that way.

Sorry to be so critical and you all ready probably know all this.

[WIlliam Maroldo]

Daniel: very interesting points made. I don't think you are being critical and I agree with your compositional observations as well. Your point about the bird needing to look into the scene is well taken. Head angles just because "they should be a certain way" is one thing that I have a problem with, on the other hand if there is a logical justification, as you have presented here, I'm all for it.
As far as the bird facing forward, compositionaly speaking, I suppose center would work best.
I appreciate your feedback! regards~Bill

[Kris Mortensen]

I agree, head angles aren't always black or white, and in this case I think it works fine. Again, its always a matter of preference, and many will disagree...but I like this simplistic nature of the shot...well done.