Head Angle Fine Points

[Arthur Morris]

As noted above, each image has its strong points. For head angle, C wins by a mile as the head is rotated towards us. With me standing behind the 800 the head of the bird in C is parallel to the back of the camera; in D, it is turned slightly away from the plane of the sensor. Had I been lying down on the beach, D would have had the best head angle as the head would have been parallel to the back of the camera. Yes, with the bill tip closer to the plane of the eye in D, the bill tip is sharper in D. But here, this was the question: "Which head angle do you prefer and why?" :)

Note: the bird in C was in no way looking at me; birds are constantly changing head positions and angles even when they are resting. Also, this has nothing to do with eye contact but everything to do with the way the light hits the bird's face.

Thanks all for playing. I will try to post another pair when I get back from my walk.

[Andre van As]

As noted above, each image has its strong points. For head angle, C wins by a mile as the head is rotated towards us. With me standing behind the 800 the head of the bird in C is parallel to the back of the camera; in D, it is turned slightly away from the plane of the sensor. Had I been lying down on the beach, D would have had the best head angle as the head would have been parallel to the back of the camera. Yes, with the bill tip closer to the plane of the eye in D, the bill tip is sharper in D. But here, this was the question: "Which head angle do you prefer and why?" :)

Note: the bird in C was in no way looking at me; birds are constantly changing head positions and angles even when they are resting. Also, this has nothing to do with eye contact but everything to do with the way the light hits the bird's face.

Thanks all for playing. I will try to post another pair when I get back from my walk.

I came in late but liked C before I read the opinions because the whole posture flows much better as the right leg is forward, the body is leaning forward a bit and the angle between the neck and the back is not as acute which connects the head with the body in a more pleasing way. These factors give a more cohesive picture of the bird's attention/energy being directed towards the object it is interested in

[Arthur Morris]

I came in late but liked C before I read the opinions because the whole posture flows much better as the right leg is forward, the body is leaning forward a bit and the angle between the neck and the back is not as acute which connects the head with the body in a more pleasing way. These factors give a more cohesive picture of the bird's attention/energy being directed towards the object it is interested in

Welcome Andre, You raise many good points. My opinion on those two images is in Pane 37. As there have been 361 or so comments, that pair is old news.

Did you miss this in Pane #1:

Important note: this is an ongoing thread. You can learn a lot by scrolling down but if you have played before and are re-visiting it would be best to go to the last page and scroll down to see the latest offerings.

[Arthur Morris]

Yes. A perfect head angle often results in what many folks would consider good "eye contact." I just don't think of it that way. And I am not sure that I would agree that all types of folks will like an image better if they feel that the wildlife subject is looking at them.

Many folks have remarked after studying a collection of my work that I seem to have some "connection" with my subjects. That I consider a supreme compliment. The funny thing is that while they all use the word "connection" none have every mentioned "eye contact."