March Theme: Straight Down the Barrel Osprey!

[Norm Dulak]

Nikon D300 w/Nikkor 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 vr lens @ 360mm, hand held
Matrix Metering +1
ISO Equiv. 640, 1/1000sec, f/7.1

As you will note, my entry for the March theme is also my avatar. That's because I've always regarded the penetrating stare of this young Osprey, which at the time this image was captured was very close to fledging, as something really special.

And I'll turn the table here, and say that a fish seeing this bird approaching would also be looking “straight down the barrel”!

Thanks for looking!

Norm

[Arthur Morris]

I like the framing and the open bill. Something however when haywire somewhere as the eyes look as if there is waxed paper over them... Or something like mega-noise... Bummer about the oof grasses in front of the subject. Lastly drawing a line with the Ruler Tool through the center of each pupil would likely indicate the need for a substantial clockwise rotation.

[Manos Papadomanolakis]

beautiful pose,eye contact!

[Norm Dulak]

I like the framing and the open bill. Something however when haywire somewhere as the eyes look as if there is waxed paper over them... Or something like mega-noise... Bummer about the oof grasses in front of the subject. Lastly drawing a line with the Ruler Tool through the center of each pupil would likely indicate the need for a substantial clockwise rotation.

Always good to hear from you Arthur!

I'm sorry that you don't like the bird's eyes, but please don't blame me for that. Blame the osprey. I only photographed it!

I also don't see the "mega-noise" that you see. Images posted on BPN should be reviewed and critiqued as presented, which is necessarily at low data content per BPN's posting requirements. If you blow them up on your computer looking for noise, I guarantee that you will find it at some point.

Furthermore, the oof grasses are part of the osprey's environment. Sorry that you don't like them. They use grasses to make their nests. And the grasses used by the ospreys were substantially out of the plane of the bird, thus necessarily making them oof. For these obvious reasons, I am unable to agree with you that that part of their environment is a "bummer." It belongs there.

Finally, I don't draw lines with Ruler Tools to make unnecessary corrections. My camera was level with the nesting platform when I took this photograph. Might it be that the osprey actually tilted its head a bit when looking at me?

I see no reason to rotate this image, but thanks anyway for your comments.

Norm

[Arthur Morris]

Thanks for your comments Norm. Whatever the case, either the bird is sick or there are huge problems with the eyes from post-processing. That is not an opinion :)

As for the oof grasses on the bird's breast, they may be and obviously are part of the environment, none-the-less, the are quite distracting to me. I recommend that folks do everything that they can to avoid oof elements between the subject and the camera.

[Norm Dulak]

As for the oof grasses on the bird's breast, they may be and obviously are part of the environment, none-the-less, the are quite distracting to me. I recommend that folks do everything that they can to avoid oof elements between the subject and the camera.

Arthur.

I hope that your interpretation of the bird's eyes is incorrect and that the bird was not sick, because I thoroughly enjoyed it. I hope and trust that it did well. Rest assured, I did nothing PP from the RAW file to alter the eyes.

But have you actually been that close to an Osprey, to be able to make your comment about how you think the eyes should look?

As for the oof elements between my subject and camera, I agree that they are best avoided if possible. But I was in a small boat on Langford creek on Maryland's Eastern Shore approaching that nesting platform, and I had to deal with whatever was between me and that Osprey. Because grasses were a part of osprey nest, I didn't consider them to be a problem at the time, and I still don't.

Maybe I should have tried to remove the grasses in Photoshop, but it's not my nature to remove elements that are a natural part of the environment unless absolutely necessary.

Norm

[Declan Troy]

I don't think there is anything "wrong" with the osprey's eyes. It is probably just blinking and the dullness is the nictitating membrane covering the eye.

[Arthur Morris]

Arthur. But have you actually been that close to an Osprey, to be able to make your comment about how you think the eyes should look? Norm

Yes. I have been this close to an Osprey. Ospreys always have clear, bright yellow eyes. There is something obviously amiss with this bird's eyes as I stated. I am not sure why nobody else is choosing to comment on the matter.... Dan, Randy, Doug, where are you???

And BTW, I have seen a few birds over the past 28 years and I am pretty sure that the problem here is not caused by the nictitating membranes....

[Neil_burton]

Grass or not I would love a shot of an osprey, the expression is priceless!

[Linda Dulak]

As I was the one controlling the boat while Norm was photographing this particular osprey I may have an explanation. The bird was up on a platform and looking over the edge as we drifted close to the platform. What I think is causing the problem in the eyes is glare from the sun. If I recall, other photos of this osprey did not have the eye issue when it was viewed farther away and from a different angle. In this image you are looking through a major portion of the cornea and the fluid behind it, not straight on as in your image, Arthur.

Linda

[Clemens Vanderwerf]

Taste is a personal thing. If it was my image I would straigthen the eyes to make them level and I would also put the osprey dead in the middle of the frame, and crop from the right and the bottom to get a square framing (you will also get rid of the OOF grass).
It looks like the image is a large crop from the original, as the sharpness could be better. If you are a fan of the birds environment I would show more of the birds body and nest materials, instead of the current crop. Like the open bill!

[Daniel Cadieux]

.... Dan, Randy, Doug, where are you???

Hey Artie, just seeing this now...back from a boring workday (man, Florida was way more fun!!)

My first thought was that the eyes looked hazy, not crisp, and even on the dullish side. The pupils look especially odd with some haze around the edge (burn tool used in the center?) I'm sure some more TLC via PP would make them more "eye-popping" (excuse the bad pun).

If mine I'd be tempted to straighten the tilt, but must admit this adds to the whimsical feel of the image. I do agree 100% the grasses are a distraction as is and would bebefit from either a wider crop, or some QM/clone/patch work.

I do love the expression on this fella - when going for the "down the barrel" theme this was the type of personality from a bird I was envisioning showing up. The image made me smile at first viewing and love it as your avatar.

[Grady Weed]

Personaly Artie I think your right on target with your assessment. It
looks funky.

[Norm Dulak]

Thanks everyone for your comments!

I continue to like my bird and think that there was nothing wrong with its eyes. The angle of capture, the position of the sun and other factors IMO all contributed to what we see here. And I don't intend to use Photoshop to "fix" the eyes. For me, that osprey remains a most interesting and memorable character!

And for what it's worth, while I always welcome constructive criticism, comments made above using words such as "funky", "something went haywire", "the eyes look as if there is waxed paper over them," and natural grasses that are part of a nest are a "bummer" do not fall in to the category of constructive criticism. I see a problem there that has nothing to do with useful, objective critiquing.
But that's just my opinion.

[Arthur Morris]

OK Norm. We give. The image is fantastic and the eyes look absolutely perfect, clear yellow and piercing just the way they should. And as for the grasses, I wish that there were lots more of them.

[Norm Dulak]

OK Norm. We give. The image is fantastic and the eyes look absolutely perfect, clear yellow and piercing just the way they should. And as for the grasses, I wish that there were lots more of them.

Thanks Arthur, for more of the same.

But what I was trying to say is that it's possible for most people to be civil and reasonable, while at the same time providing an objective, helpful critique. I think it boils down to a matter of style. And isn't this becoming a little silly?

Finally, if you think that the eyes of an osprey photographed as I photographed mine, with the sun positioned as it was and with the osprey looking straight at me at the level at which the image was captured, should be "absolutely perfect, clear yellow and piercing," then please show me such an image! Don't show me, instead, an entirely different side view of an osprey. I can also show you dozens of such clear side view images as well, but that proves nothing.

[Arthur Morris]

Whatever. Several of us led by me gave honest comments which you have flat out rejected, made excuses for, and stated over and over did not exist. As it is quite obvious that you do not wish my help I will gladly refrain from commenting on your images.