GBH at sunrise

[Kaustubh Deshpande]

40D. 400f5.6L at f/6.3. iso 400. 1/400s. exp. comp -1. hand-held.

He/She was wading in a part that was in deep shade. The contrast was already very high and I pulled in the black point just a bit. I can pull it even further to completely darken the surroundings....or I can reduce the contrast and pull out the shadows. I thought this looked the best.

All C&C welcome.

[Rich Steel]

Hi Kaustubh

I like the contrast between the well lit bird and and the dark surroundings which is very effective. The horizontal position of the bird in the fame is good with plenty of space to the right. However, there seems to be a lot of black empty space above the birds and I would have preferred to have seen the bird higher in the frame and a more of the reflection.

Cheers

Rich

[Randy Stout]

Kaustubh:

Good comments from Rich. I really would prefer a full reflection here, even if not a perfect reflection. I also think that I would prefer just a touch more detail in the background, bit less contrast on the bird.
Very much artistic choices, so personal preference the deciding factor.

Randy

[Kaustubh Deshpande]

Rich, I included that space because it has the bushes on the bank.....quite dark green. I think including them lends the third dimension. On my non-calibrated office monitor, I dont see much of them but they are clearly seen on my home one(where I process all my photos).

Thx for the feedback.

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Kaustubh, lovely moody image, and I like how light is cast on the heron. I can see the dark green bushes on my monitor. Comp wise, I would take a tad off the top, and agree seeing the reflection would enhance this image even more. Does this need a slight CCW rotation?

[Nicki Gwynn Jones]

Kaustubh, lovely work - my kind of image! I would darken the BG completely - but that is just my personal preference :)

[Arthur Morris]

K, I would go for a totally black BKGR--with the calibration strip looking good it looks almost all black anyway. I like the concept here, but... For starters, the head is turned away. And that white chin is very bright. A Linear Burn there, possibly at 100%, would do wonders.

Was there a reason that you did not go vertical?

[Kaustubh Deshpande]

Artie, thx for the feedback. I will check the orig if I have the full reflection. I think I have and hence did not go vertical. About the head angle, I could not go to my right as I was on a small fishing pier. I got some from the same location with head turned towards me a bit...but the rays did not light the face this way. But now that I know the spot, I'll keep trying.

I think fully dark BG will work too...will give it a shot and with reflection included, let me see how the final product looks. Will do the burn in too. Thx everyone for providing direction. You folks rock!!

[David Thomasson]

Rich, I included that space because it has the bushes on the bank.....quite dark green. I think including them lends the third dimension. On my non-calibrated office monitor, I dont see much of them but they are clearly seen on my home one(where I process all my photos).

Part of the problem is the white background on this forum. I didn't even notice the bushes in the background until I opened the image in IrfanView with a black background. I wish the forum would change the background to something darker -- a neutral gray or even solid black. I think it would improve the display of images.

[Arthur Morris]

YAW. I gotta say that head angle probably ruins more avian images for me than any other single problem. Even in OOTB. And the same goes for animals in Wildlife. The only way to escape the Head Angle Police is to do only Landscapes or Flowers :)

[Kaustubh Deshpande]

Artie, thx a lot. Here's one with a slightly better HA. Unfortunately he did not give it to me when he was fully in water. Used a slightly warmer color temp and burn-in on cheek. More habitat too.

[Aidan Briggs]

I think I like the second image better although the HA is still just a hair off. I agree on going completely black for the OP. Great warm light and contrast in both. Looks like you were in a tough shooting situation.

Keep them coming!

[Arthur Morris]

I like the second one better to but you are still under arrest. :)

[Axel Hildebrandt]

Cool idea, I also like the light and water trail behind the bird. Do you have one with the entire reflection?

[Kaustubh Deshpande]

Here's one with full reflection, complete darkness around, minor rotation, a little warmer color temp and some burn on cheek. Had to clone some small specks in the water near the bottom. Better?

[Fabs Forns]

OI go for the full reflection repost, with less negative space on top. I think the white chin is a bit overdone here, but the general feel of the image is much nicer. HA ticket.

[Arthur Morris]

Agree with Fabs on all counts. Are the whites of the chin blown out in the original? They are grayed out here. As for the head angle, I will write the citation.

[Randy Stout]

Kaustubh:

Like the last repost the best, feel the full reflection adds to the feel of this image.

Much better comp. IMHO.

Randy

[Kaustubh Deshpande]

Thx everyone. Will re-do the chin.

Artie, yes..I checked.... it is blown in orig. Should have dialed in even lower exp. comp. This one had -1. I learnt from that histogram and then dialed in -1 2/3. The shot with habitat has exp. comp -1 2/3.

[Nicki Gwynn Jones]

Repost rocks apart from the gray chin. Tell the HA police that I have your bail money ready :D

[Kaustubh Deshpande]

Thanks Nicki.