It works well for me. I would consider softening( lower contrast and perhaps a bit of saturation reduction) the big green clump on the horizon, as there is enough contrast and detail to draw my eye form the bird.
For me, when the bird is small in frame, you have to be even more careful about such details.
This is a gorgeous image John. Just love the light, the depth and the painterly feel to it. Much prefer the OP. Yes, some of the elements in the BG pull the eye away from the bird and I love that. This is a birdscape not a portrait! I enjoy wandering through and discovering the different elements in this frame and my eyes do keep coming back to that beautiful, well-placed bird. Very nice work John.
Last edited by Sidharth Kodikal; 02-18-2015 at 08:37 AM.
I like the original more...with some gentle tweaks mentioned above all potentials can be brought out of it. Very interesting with a good mood landscape. Well done.
Hi John, what I had in mind, and I'm sure that is what Randy had too, was just a subtle softening of the darker middle "tree" along the horizon line. Something like this: