This is a shot that I like, partly due to the somewhat unusual effects of the light and the resulting colors.
1/1250, f/8, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, shot from pickup window, not baited, set up or called in
It was taken on a very cold January morning (notice the frosty perch) just as the sun was coming up over the Wasatch mountains and the warm colors from the very low sun, combined with the light bouncing off all of the Phragmites in the area, gave the overall image a bit of a slightly unusual color that appeals to me (as usual, I made no color adjustments during processing).
After my last post on composition it seems that I’m fretting about cropping options even more than I usually do. I often try several versions, make a decision, then use (or post) just the one I think I like best. But in this instance I just wasn’t sure, so I decided to post two versions. Typically, my gut instinct is to go for the tighter crop (the vertical in this case) because of the better detail on the bird, but I’m trying to expand my horizons a little and become more flexible with the options I consider.
If you have a preference between these two images I’d love to hear about it, but please don’t think you need to choose one over the other if you decide to comment on the image.
And this will be the last time (at least for a good long while) that I turn one of my posts into a compositional exercise. I promise!
Ron
That dramatic eye! The result that make-up mavens strive to achieve. Silliness aside this is a beautiful bird, who picked its surroundings and its photographer well. Thank you.
The landscape shot just feels right, if you want an artistic feeling. But the tight shot is great for detail, and both are lovely.
That’s kind of how I reacted too, Tana. Thank you.
Sounds like the two of us have the same innate preferences Sharon.
“I’ve loved reading what everyone else has had to say about their preferences. It helps me to look at things differently”
I agree, and could not have said this better.
I feel a bit more contemplative when I look at the horizontal crop. Perhaps it brings to me more of the mood of the moment…but although I love that feeling and I love the background color, light and texture, if push came to shove and I could only have one…I’d go for the tight crop and the detail. I liken it to the kind of difference one sees between a painting of a scene and a study of a subject. I’ve always been biased toward the study. When forced to make a choice between an exhibition of paintings of the great masters or an exhibition of their drawings, I will usually go for the drawings.
I hope this isn’t your last post of this kind. I’ve really enjoyed them. I’ve loved reading what everyone else has had to say about their preferences. It helps me to look at things differently.