Crowned Crane

[jcharris]

Here is a photo of a crowned crane i took .

I got several problems with this , could you give me your opinion as well ?
First , the background is brown and the bird do not stand out so much .
There was a other bird on this at the back if his head , that was a bit distracting for me .

Your thoughts will be welcome .

Regards
james

[JK_Photo]

Well, James, I have to agree with your observations.
A shot like this is best made using a long lens and a large aperture to blur out the background. Your cropping is a bit too tight. I'd suggest leaving more space around the subject so it oesn't feel stuffed into the frame. your exposure and focus are great.
It still could have worked out if you were a bit more careful in watching your background. I tend to crop in-camera so the final thing I do before shutter release - sweep the edges of my frame for distractions.
If you have Photoshop you could clone the background birdie out. I don't mind the hotspot behind the birds neck as it is still holding detail and it kind of draws attention toward the head.

[jcharris]

Thank you Jon

The crop was a bit too tight yes. That is a nice idea to first crop the image in the camera . Will give that a try next time .
This is one i really want to reshoot sometime
.That hotspot behind the neck was also a concern , but like you have mentioned , it draw you to it's face .I never picked that up myself .
Thanks for looking and your constructive advice

Regards
james

[gahspidy]

I like the look the bird is giving you. Jon made some good points and I agree with this being cropped too tightly. Sharp and well exposed. less dof needed and the telephoto shot wide open will do it for you. Look forward to the next shot

[JK_Photo]

I don't know how I missed it the first time, but I notice the white part of the wing is really blown out. Does it appear that way to you?
Also, one advantage of the tight cropping is that the lines of the bird flow very nicely and keep your eye moving around it.

[jcharris]

Thank you Gary

I do want to have a reshoot at this bird again when i have a chance .

Regards
james

[jcharris]

Hi Jon

Thanks for looking again . The part of the wing is badly blown out and it lost some detail as well .
Do not know what happened there . Think it was the sun that was partly shining on the wing . I must of got the lightning at the wrong angle there .
Thanks for picking that up as well

Regards
james