Luminous Landscape Forum

The Art of Photography => User Critiques => Topic started by: Farmer on February 23, 2010, 06:32:59 am

Title: Condor over Sydney
Post by: Farmer on February 23, 2010, 06:32:59 am
Crop, don't crop?  General critique?  I've not done a lot of wildlife shots and this one was a bit of a once only chance, but critique is welcome as I'm sure I could improve this.

(http://www.the-farm.net/LL/PB_20100221_A700_3152.jpg)

(http://www.the-farm.net/LL/PB_20100221_A700_3152b.jpg)
Title: Condor over Sydney
Post by: Dick Roadnight on February 23, 2010, 07:22:07 am
[attachment=20433:Screen_Capture.jpg]
Quote from: Farmer
Crop, don't crop?  General critique?  I've not done a lot of wildlife shots and this one was a bit of a once only chance, but critique is welcome as I'm sure I could improve this.
I would crop it vertical, (including the foliage and the domed stone building) but, for local interest, you might want to include the building on the left to make the location identifiable to locals?

You could make the whole picture much less blue.

The Sky is uninspiring, and a vertical crop would illuminate most of it.
Title: Condor over Sydney
Post by: RSL on February 23, 2010, 09:00:10 am
Even though I don't like cropping, I agree point by point with Dick. When there's no time to swing the camera and you have to shoot a horizontal where the better shot would have been vertical you haven't any choice. Crop and get rid of the color cast.
Title: Condor over Sydney
Post by: Eric Myrvaagnes on February 23, 2010, 09:05:34 am
I would crop it horizontally, just as you have in your first image. The bird needs space to the left to be flying into.

IMHO, the full image has lots of wasted space on the right, and Dick's crop is too cramped.

Eric

Title: Condor over Sydney
Post by: Dick Roadnight on February 23, 2010, 10:17:57 am
Quote from: Eric Myrvaagnes
I would crop it horizontally, just as you have in your first image. The bird needs space to the left to be flying into.

IMHO, the full image has lots of wasted space on the right, and Dick's crop is too cramped.

Eric
I agree that the bird "needs more room to fly int.", butIt would be easy to extend my crop to the left, making the picture squarer.
 [attachment=20441:Screen_Capture.jpg]
Title: Condor over Sydney
Post by: Eric Myrvaagnes on February 23, 2010, 12:49:37 pm
Quote from: Dick Roadnight
I agree that the bird "needs more room to fly int.", butIt would be easy to extend my crop to the left, making the picture squarer.
 [attachment=20441:Screen_Capture.jpg]

I think I like that best. I like having the tree tops showing, as you do in the vertical crop. Extending it to the left, making a square (approximately) would work for me.





Title: Condor over Sydney
Post by: Ed Blagden on February 23, 2010, 02:26:46 pm
I thought Condors were only found in the Andes and California?
Title: Condor over Sydney
Post by: walter.sk on February 23, 2010, 03:26:23 pm
Quote from: Eric Myrvaagnes
I would crop it horizontally, just as you have in your first image. The bird needs space to the left to be flying into.

IMHO, the full image has lots of wasted space on the right, and Dick's crop is too cramped.
Eric

That was exactly my reaction, Eric
Title: Condor over Sydney
Post by: Farmer on February 24, 2010, 02:31:11 am
Thank you for the feedback and comments - very helpful!

I've decided to go with a square format, keeping the trees and giving room to fly to the left.  I would have preferred to avoid having the bird in the centre vertically, but I think chopping the buildings wouldn't work as well (though I'm happy to hear feedback to the contrary or generally).

Regarding condors in Sydney - yes, it's not native :-)

(http://www.the-farm.net/LL/PB_20100221_A700_3152c.jpg)
Title: Condor over Sydney
Post by: Eric Myrvaagnes on February 24, 2010, 01:15:42 pm
That's it!

The vertical centering doesn't bother me. This a a splendid image!

Eric

Title: Condor over Sydney
Post by: Jeremy Roussak on February 24, 2010, 02:22:24 pm
I think I'd have marginally less space to the left (say, removing about half the leftmost building): it just looks a bit too wide for me. But it's a fantastic shot.

Jeremy
Title: Condor over Sydney
Post by: tom b on February 24, 2010, 06:16:54 pm
The photo appears to be of Leslie (male) the Andean Condor at Taronga Zoo. There is a free Flight Bird show at the zoo, you can find out more here:

http://www.taronga.org.au/taronga-zoo/plan.../bird-show.aspx (http://www.taronga.org.au/taronga-zoo/plan-your-visit/daily-presentations/bird-show.aspx)

Cheers,
Title: Condor over Sydney
Post by: Farmer on February 24, 2010, 06:43:08 pm
Quote from: tom  b
The photo appears to be of Leslie (male) the Andean Condor at Taronga Zoo. There is a free Flight Bird show at the zoo, you can find out more here:

http://www.taronga.org.au/taronga-zoo/plan.../bird-show.aspx (http://www.taronga.org.au/taronga-zoo/plan-your-visit/daily-presentations/bird-show.aspx)

Cheers,

It is!  I was at Roar and Snore (http://www.taronga.org.au/taronga-zoo/education/sleep-@-the-zoo/roar--snore.aspx) over the weekend and saw the show on Sunday and got this shot among others.