# Estuary



## Mack (Nov 8, 2004)

Hi Folks,

Thursday was beautiful here for a change so I droped by a local estuary on my way home from work. Just a few from my time there.


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## zuluclayman (Dec 16, 2005)

some great shots there -first and last are my favourites - frozen action works very well in them, well captured


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## WereBo (Apr 5, 2008)

Beautifully crisp photos there Mack, superb framing and capture - Like Zulu, #1 and #5 are my favourites too


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## Mack (Nov 8, 2004)

Thanks guys.

1 & 5 are my favourite also. Do you think that because there is forground interest that they have more appeal? Maybe they have more context?

The reason I ask is becaue my next fav would be #3 and it has background interest but because its at the bottom of the frame it could almost be foreground.


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## zuluclayman (Dec 16, 2005)

for me - I think they work better because they have some direction - the line implied by the movement in the first one leads your eyes through the image, the angle of the feet of the bird in #5 again implies movement.
my only criticism of #5 is that is a little busy - perhaps a tighter crop would eliminate both the stick and some of the distraction in the top left corner.

#3 has 2 problems for me - the poles sticking up through the birds and the birds almost dead centre - the poles could be erased with some careful clone stamping and the position may benefit from cropping so that the centre of interest (the birds) isn't in the middle.

Don't mean to be negative - they're still nice shots - sometimes good to get some feedback in the form of constructive criticism :smile:


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## Mack (Nov 8, 2004)

Thanks for the constructive critisism Zulu, I totally agree with your assesment. I was contiously aware that the photograph of the crow was a bit cluttered but I didn't think it would matter that much ontill I actually cleaned it up and it makes a huge difference. I was a little worried about cropping more as it was about a 90% crop to begin with but I think it still looks ok.



















Thanks for the feedback.


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## Mack (Nov 8, 2004)

Sorry uploaded the wrong one. Here is the croped one.


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## zuluclayman (Dec 16, 2005)

ah - much nicer :smile: 

what's happened in the crow one? - nicer composition but background is striated - compression problem?


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## WereBo (Apr 5, 2008)

Personally #5 works well as it is, the background provides a sense of scale, as well as what the bird is doing.

#1 is excellent for the action content, with the water drops and ripples and the birds movements having the 'drama'

#2 is a great action-study, with the the gull in a good pose, well framed and composed, but there's something else needed, I'm just not sure what :laugh:

#3 is far better now it's cropped, the background was a total distraction.

#4 while nicely framed and composed, is a bit too 'sweet' for me - It would be excellent on a romantic greetings-card or chocolate-box top.


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## Mack (Nov 8, 2004)

Zulu I think it is compression due to the fact I edited a jpg file. Here I went back and edited the original crop and it is better.










The main problem I think is that the crop was so extreem to begin with.










@ Werebo "It would be excellent on a romantic greetings-card or chocolate-box top."

That would make me happy if I thought it was that good I think the swan in the background ruins the shot.

Another one from the day.










Not very well focused but I like the fack the hes pooing


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## WereBo (Apr 5, 2008)

WOW! That last gull is superb, with the light showing through the wing-feathers.

He's pooing? I thought that was his arrester-hook used for landing....... :grin:


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## zuluclayman (Dec 16, 2005)

> Zulu I think it is compression due to the fact I edited a jpg file. Here I went back and edited the original crop and it is better.The main problem I think is that the crop was so extreem to begin with.


ah that explains it

latest one is a nice catch too - lucky you weren't downwind :laugh:


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