Animals Critique ⇒ All U Can Eat Crawfish Buffet

[minniev]

There were simply too many egrets to count, and far too many not to try to shoot them, but this is an awful place. Above and to the right of where I cropped out is a four lane road with all the trimmings and traffic, and along the left are every single electric line that crosses the Pearl river, bundled onto 50 big power poles. All suggestions about what to do. I kept shooting closer and cropping more out in camera till I got to this point. I considered cropping up further from the bottom but haven't tried that yet. Any other kind of suggestion would be appreciated as well.

[PietFrancke]

I see you have opened up your diner. I think this image is awesome, take advantage of the crowd, get many, many images. My 600mm Sigma is my favorite friend. (borrow or rent if you have to, what a place to get some shots - problems or not. There is just something special about an entire flock on water/grass in a crowd like this.

edit - also, for shots like this in a known place, known situation, perhaps been bag or tripod and remote trigger would let you use a lower shutter speed, greater DOF, etc.

[minniev]

I see you have opened up your diner. I think this image is awesome, take advantage of the crowd, get many, many images. My 600mm Sigma is my favorite friend. (borrow or rent if you have to, what a place to get some shots - problems or not. There is just something special about an entire flock on water/grass in a crowd like this.

edit - also, for shots like this in a known place, known situation, perhaps been bag or tripod and remote trigger would let you use a lower shutter speed, greater DOF, etc.

Those are good points. I want more DOF to keep more of the group in better focus. If they are there again, I'll go better prepared. I've never seen such a mob in this ditch, there's often one or two, but this was quite a party. There is no way to approach without them catching me and moving away, so I'm not sure how close I can get regardless of how friendly I try to appear. I do have a longer lens (4/3 Sigma 400 which is, in full frame equivalency, an 800), but it's darker, and not as sharp. Always those darned devils bargains!! I had the tripod but this dummy forgot the plate.

[Matt Quinn]

There were simply too many egrets to count, and far too many not to try to shoot them, but this is an awful place. Above and to the right of where I cropped out is a four lane road with all the trimmings and traffic, and along the left are every single electric line that crosses the Pearl river, bundled onto 50 big power poles. All suggestions about what to do. I kept shooting closer and cropping more out in camera till I got to this point. I considered cropping up further from the bottom but haven't tried that yet. Any other kind of suggestion would be appreciated as well.

ditch (1 of 1).jpg

Minnie, It's a gaggle of geese and a murder of crows. An excess of egrets?

I wouldn't crop up from the bottom. I like the shadow of the bird in flight in the water. Keep as is; the impact of the mangle is magic. Happy Memorial Weekend. Matt

[Charles Haacker]

Agree with Matt (an Excess of Egrets ); I like the reflection in the water at the base. If you had not told us that there is a mess framed out I'd never have guessed, and that's part of the magic of framing, in, or out. The other challenge, DOF, creates a different conundrum; if you lower your shutter you begin to lose the flying and the splashing.

[Duck]

If the full image shows the horizon up to the road, consider replacing all that annoying background with a nice sky. Just make sure it all matches.

[minniev]

This is a first effort, surely full of flaws others can suggest answers to.

I stole the sky from across the road on the eastern side about 10 minutes earlier. That side had begun to clear. I attempted to tinker with light direction, color, and reflection.

Among other things.

[Psjunkie]

Simply fabulous...

[Duck]

This is a first effort [...]

WOW!

[minniev]

Simply fabulous...

Thank you Frank. I'm still fiddling with odds and ends on it.