i like it, but criticism appreciated

[dave el]

this is called moorhen and catkins. i like the catkins floating around the moorhen, but i'm sure there's a lot wrong with it. it's in a couple of other galleries but hasn't got much interest

[Mick Johnson]

Re: i like it, but criticism appreciated

For me, there's only a tiny thumbnail to look at.

[Gina]

Re: i like it, but criticism appreciated

Hi Dave,

I'm no bird expert but I do like the colours captured in this shot. The main criticism is the focus on the head and beak. It makes me want to see a bigger image size to make sure the focus is slightly off rather than my eyesight failing! I like the DOF and the reflections in the water.

Gina

[ryme-intrinseca]

Re: i like it, but criticism appreciated

I'd agree with Gina - the depth of field and the 'bokeh' are great, as are the colours on the water. But I think it's slightly out of focus. And / or possibly it's been cropped tightly from a larger image? Which lens did you use?

I've never criticised anyone else's images in any way before, and now I feel like I'm being nasty.

[Gina]

Re: i like it, but criticism appreciated

Ryme,

If you don't get criticism, how will you know what is right and what is not? Most of my learning has come from making mistakes and I appreciate all the critique I can shake a stick at ! It's not being 'nasty', it;s being constructive and honest. Who wants 'nice job' 'well captured' comments all the time? Go girl, go critique your fingers off.

[Stephen]

Re: i like it, but criticism appreciated

Ryme,

If you don't get criticism, how will you know what is right and what is not? Most of my learning has come from making mistakes and I appreciate all the critique I can shake a stick at ! It's not being 'nasty', it;s being constructive and honest. Who wants 'nice job' 'well captured' comments all the time? Go girl, go critique your fingers off.

Well said Gina, couldn't agree more

[ryme-intrinseca]

Re: i like it, but criticism appreciated

Well said Gina, couldn't agree more

Hehe, I know that really, and I like getting critique on my own images, it's really useful - I just find it hard to critique others, because I've only been taking photos seriously for a couple of years, and some people around here have been taking them for years and years.

But, anyway - that's off topic, sorry!

[dave el]

Re: i like it, but criticism appreciated

thanx for the commments so far. yeah, i can see the head is out of focus now. the picture was cropped right down to make the moorhen fill the frame. my telephoto is a sigma 150 - 500 mm on a canon camera, and to be honest i wish i hadn't bought the sigma, it's just not sharp. i see i made a mistake using thumbnail - which option should i use, the original size?

[Ian]

Re: i like it, but criticism appreciated

thanx for the commments so far. yeah, i can see the head is out of focus now. the picture was cropped right down to make the moorhen fill the frame. my telephoto is a sigma 150 - 500 mm on a canon camera, and to be honest i wish i hadn't bought the sigma, it's just not sharp. i see i made a mistake using thumbnail - which option should i use, the original size?

OK - deep breath - this is the CRITIQUE board after all

First of all, 1/400th exposure at 500mm telephoto, or actually 800mm when the cropping factor of your Canon EOS-450D is factored in, is really not fast enough to counteract camera shake. I can certainly see motion blur as the main problem here, possibly both from subject movement and camera/lens shake. The Sigma 150-500 is a good lens and the faults in your image are not down to the lens. Were you using a tripod or a monopod?

In terms of composition, in a shot like this I'd personally prefer to see more above the main subject than below, and possibly more off-set to one side, as per the the Rule of Thirds. By looking at the wter ripple rings, it seems the image is not level, but tilted down to the left.

But please don't take these comments negatively - I actually like the potential in what I see in this picture.

Ian

[Patrick]

Re: i like it, but criticism appreciated

thanx for the commments so far. yeah, i can see the head is out of focus now. the picture was cropped right down to make the moorhen fill the frame. my telephoto is a sigma 150 - 500 mm on a canon camera, and to be honest i wish i hadn't bought the sigma, it's just not sharp. i see i made a mistake using thumbnail - which option should i use, the original size?

Nothing wrong with Sigma lenses I use little else.
There could be something wrong with the lens or how you are using it.

Do you use it on a tripod? its a long lens and as such subject to camera shake, support is all but essential. A monopod is a great help.
If hand held at the 500mm end a shutter speed of at least 1/500 sec should be used, I would suggest even faster. The stabilizer will help if using around 1/350, less you can still run into problems.

To test the lens under controlled cognitions, mount camera & lens on a tripod using a cable or remote release take some shots of a static subject, both auto focus and manual focus. (turning off the stabilizer, stabilizers don't like tripods, its OK with a monopod)
The lens will be at its best at around f8 to f11, wide open it could be soft, most lenses are.
If you still don't get sharp results take it back and have it checked, if still under warranty it wont cost you anything.

Patrick

[Stephen]

Re: i like it, but criticism appreciated

this is called moorhen and catkins. i like the catkins floating around the moorhen, but i'm sure there's a lot wrong with it. it's in a couple of other galleries but hasn't got much interest

So Dave, you have to ask yourself WHY? Now it could be just general apathy, I don't know. However if the pictures been posted on a bird forum gallery, it has to be said there is nothing to stimulate much comment and critique IMHO. To me its just a DUCK and to be frank that's pretty boring. You have simply pointed the camera at the bird and clicked. As has already been been said it has technical shortcomings, but you also need to instil something else into the picture in order to make it worth looking at and worthy of comment. Even my son (21 and home from Uni) who was looking over my shoulder, and knows little about photography, but has a good 'eye', commented that it was a pretty boring photo, and that the duck was doing nothing to make it more interesting. I'm afraid I had to agree with him.

[Ian]

Re: i like it, but criticism appreciated

So Dave, you have to ask yourself WHY? Now it could be just general apathy, I don't know. However if the pictures been posted on a bird forum gallery, it has to be said there is nothing to stimulate much comment and critique IMHO. To me its just a DUCK and to be frank that's pretty boring. You have simply pointed the camera at the bird and clicked. As has already been been said it has technical shortcomings, but you also need to instil something else into the picture in order to make it worth looking at and worthy of comment. Even my son (21 and home from Uni) who was looking over my shoulder, and knows little about photography, but has a good 'eye', commented that it was a pretty boring photo, and that the duck was doing nothing to make it more interesting. I'm afraid I had to agree with him.

I think Moorhen fans might not appreciate this species confusion, Stephen

But seriously, in my own comment on the picture I said that I could see some potential. I stand by that, while I also agree that the picture, as-posted, is quite boring. But with some patience and skill, I think the conditions I see in the picture could have turned up an impressive enough study of what is quite a pretty water fowl.

In other words, I think it's worth taking pictures of Moorhens!

Ian

[Stephen]

Re: i like it, but criticism appreciated

I think Moorhen fans might not appreciate this species confusion, Stephen

But seriously, in my own comment on the picture I said that I could see some potential. I stand by that, while I also agree that the picture, as-posted, is quite boring. But with some patience and skill, I think the conditions I see in the picture could have turned up an impressive enough study of what is quite a pretty water fowl.

In other words, I think it's worth taking pictures of Moorhens!

Ian

Of course I agree. However, some degree of creativity is needed as well as getting the technical things right. In fairness I like the colours, and I like the low viewpoint of the shot. It needs more though, after all its a moorhen

[stan1968]

Re: i like it, but criticism appreciated

OK - deep breath - this is the CRITIQUE board after all

First of all, 1/400th exposure at 500mm telephoto, or actually 800mm when the cropping factor of your Canon EOS-450D is factored in, is really not fast enough to counteract camera shake. I can certainly see motion blur as the main problem here, possibly both from subject movement and camera/lens shake. The Sigma 150-500 is a good lens and the faults in your image are not down to the lens. Were you using a tripod or a monopod?

In terms of composition, in a shot like this I'd personally prefer to see more above the main subject than below, and possibly more off-set to one side, as per the the Rule of Thirds. By looking at the wter ripple rings, it seems the image is not level, but tilted down to the left.

But please don't take these comments negatively - I actually like the potential in what I see in this picture.

Ian

To support Ian comment by pictures , look please to Lukasz pf :

http://www.fotoik.pl/index.php?akcja=autor&rid=14317

he use 150-500 sigma

Stan

[Stephen]

Re: i like it, but criticism appreciated

To support Ian comment by pictures , look please to Lukasz pf :

http://www.fotoik.pl/index.php?akcja=autor&rid=14317

he use 150-500 sigma

Stan

It must also be said that the majority of these photos prove the point I was making too. The birds are doing something that makes the photo interesting and therefore much more dynamic. Thanks for the link Stan