Crows

[hora]

Hey everyone,

I took this picture a few weeks ago, I'm a little disappointed because it's not as sharp as I'd like it, but it's the best shot that came out of the set. I changed the levels a bit in PS and increased the contrast just a little. Comments? Suggestions?

I think I'd like to crop it, there might be too much empty sky on the left, but I want to hear everyone's opinion first, you guys have more experience



Link to Flickr

[PLouie]

The first thing I'd say is you need to get in tighter. Did you not a have a telephoto lens at the time? It is a bit more difficult than it should be to understand what the main subject of the image is. Based on the name of your thread I assume it's the crows. So that is the reason why it should show the crows in most of the frame or have it plainly obvious the crows are there. Right now, the eyes have to searching to find your main subject. In other words, there are too much other distracting elements.

[jiminyClickit]

hora,

If you crop to place crows in a more favorable viewing position, yes it will help. And while you're experimenting, flip horizontally to place crows in upper right third, see if you find they are more important there.

[clockdoc]

Hi, hitchhiking on Jiminy's comment, I cropped the image a little tighter, flipped it horizontally and took a stab at cleaning up some of the branckes that were touching the bottom border, giving them a "cut off" appearance. I like your shot very much. Good eye!

[hora]

Thanks for the help, and the comments!

Plouie - I only have one lens, it's a Nikkor 18-70mm AF-S lens. This was at maximum zoom, and I was as close as I could get. I took this shot next to a cliff, so if I had stepped in closer I would've fallen off into the ocean.

jiminy and clockdoc - I like the suggestion of the tighter crop, it is a little difficult to find the crows in all the branches. I like both the flipped and the regular version, I can't really see what difference it makes. Maybe it's just me?

[clockdoc]

For what it's worth, in the flipped version, as your eye reads into the photo from left to right, it is led up the main branch to the pair of crows. In the first version your eye finds the crows but then is lead out the right lower corner of the frame via the flowing branch. Aesthetically, either could be fine. It just depends on what pleases your eye.

[mappleby]

Nice Shot... I love the blue sky with dark branches and crows...

I really like the flipped version however I think that I would try to crop even closer if I could still place the crows Favorably.

[hora]

Thanks,

I never thought of the eyes moving through the picture like that, I guess I still have lots and lots to learn. I'll work on a tighter crop as well as flipping the picture when I get home from work. Thanks for the help everyone.