I woke up during the night and thought -- I shouldn't have cropped out the fence! The lightness of the bird against the darkness of the fence was better than just the bird sitting on the top of the fence. So here it is. Version 2. Or, in reality, the original v 1.My husband was going to replace the fence and had quotes and all -- but I have decided to keep it. There's something about a weathered fence that I like for photography, even if it has holes for the fox and other animals to go in and out, and the gate no longer aligns and closes. After all, photography is the goal, right?
A fabulous capture of both fence and bird. I so agree with you re keeping the fence. Had a quick look at the previous one and think I prefer this one with the bird sitting high and mighty ;-)
Ha ha, love a bit of nocturnal thought! I wake up and remember crazy things too. Nice to know I am not alone! You are right - the dark fence against the light bird is more striking.
I love your fence and I so agree that weathered wood is so photogenic. This is a lovely capture. The cowbird’s feathers appear to be pale lavender. He’s beautiful.
LOL Junko - I love how your brain kept on working while you slept. And I think it was absolutely right - he was lovely before but this says so much more. :)
Both versions are great, but I prefer this picture. The bright bird is particularly expressive in relation to this dark fence. The fence also tells a story with this weathering. Thank you for this comparison - it sharpens the pictorial vision.
Superb picture!
This version. The fence is good too, but it's the continuation of the vine that makes it more appealing. Cropping birds is tricky. I tend to go in too much, then back away some (as you did here) to give the viewer more context. That vine accentuates the bird's clasp! One of my favorite songs is called Cowbird by Throwing Muses! And I've never seen one! Until Now!
@darylo Ah, Daryl -- you give such fabulous feedback! Thanks for these thoughts. You're right -- I crop a bit too severely sometimes. For example, the squared squirrel I posted yesterday was a vertical but the I couldn't deal with the overblown sky and very dark lower beam so I simply cut them out. It doesn't have much breathing space but in that case, it was a vertical so the composition wasn't great to start with. One of my goals is to learn how to do food photography better -- not the professional let's-put-oily-spray-on-it and all that but simply presenting food to look better. Of course it would help if I could cook like you do! My best food shot has been my copycat photo I did when I made your eggplant recipe. I'm so glad you are back!
@jyokota I am working on food photography as well. I know that many think the right above the plate method is best, and it often is, but I want a better lighting system (other than natural light, which is realllllly good if you have the food ready for the best time of the light coming in--I often don't). I find it funny that I will run outside with a plate before we eat to take a shot just before the sun goes down. I have so much to learn. I worked for a chef as a recipe tester for a year, and my cohort in the kitchen was a food stylist--she was AMAZING.
January 8th, 2021
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Superb picture!