Shadow in the skyby
marvinComment by scarbrd: ---Greetings from the Critique Club!---
First of all, I agree with you, the image is dreamy and attractive.
There may be an issue with meeting the challenge. This is more of a silhouette, not a shadow. Some would argue that a silhouette requires a shadow. There was a lot of discussion on this in the forums. I'm not making a judgment call on that, just noting that you may have suffered in the voting because of it. You have comments about this as well.
On the photo itself, a slow shutter speed on a moving object can do one of two things:
1. Give a sense of motion
2. Give a sense of out of focus
I think this shot looks more out of focus than an object in motion. To get the sense of motion you need to follow the subject as you fire the shutter. You mention in your notes that you shot this without looking through the view finder. I think that is why you get more of the out of focus effect.
Had the head and tail of the bird been sharper and the wings blurred, the picture would be a lot stronger.
The composition is good and the background sets a dark mood that enhances the view.
All in all a good shot. If you want to practice slow shutter panning, try it on moving cars, bicycles, people running, etc. Choose a shutter speed of 1/30 and pan your camera with the moving subject and fire the shutter while panning.
I hope this helps! I love all the pictures from Iceland. I must visit some day!
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
Photographer found comment helpful.
