Great Everglades Egretby
LVEComment by Lustre: Greetings from the Critique Club
Technical Qualities
I think this shot is very good technically - there is plenty of sharpness, plenty of detail and the colour is very good. Your aftershot editing of the photo is particularly effective - it really separates the subject from the background.
Having the background disappear to black on the outer edges stops the viewers eye from being drawn away from the main subject. The eye is naturally drawn to light coloured objects. If you take your "Beach Towel" shot as an example - my eye was drawn from the towel to the plants behind it almost instantly. Moving the towel into the sun and having the plants darker would have really changed the feel of this shot.
Composition / Subject
The subject is wonderful - an interesting bird living in its natural environment... Way better than all of the zoo photos amongst this challenge. The shadows across the birds back (from the grasses) really add an element of interest to the shot and it looks a lot more natural than if there was nothing between the camera and bird whatsoever.
The green tint across the head looks odd. Is that natural colour or is that another piece of grass in the way? Placing the bird off centre in the frame works well - particularly so when the empty space is added such that the animal is walking into the frame, rather than out of the frame.
Border / Title
The border blends well with the light-source editing of the background. It's interesting that so many people didn't like the vignette, although I think when it comes to borders there are two schools of thought. Some people don't think borders belong on any image on this site.
The title is very literal, but still works well. Given the simple, non-emotional nature of the shot I can't think of a more appropriate style of title.
Emotional / Challenge
I think you met the challenge exceptionally well - a wild bird in it's natural environment. From an emotional standpoint I don't think you are trying to convey a particular emotion - but that's perfectly ok. Not every shot has to be making a statement. What is conveyed, by both the pose and the grassy reeds, is the stealthy nature of this bird.
Summary
I think it's a great shot. Well done on achieving both you highest rating and also highest score so far. Compared to your other recent entries I find this shot better both technically (particularly in detail and sharpness) and artistically.
Photographer found comment helpful.
