That works really well for tall. High key and mono really does bring out the textures.
I’m catching up on comments, so for a moment I thought your gravestone was for ‘tall’ - I thought because she painted ceilings [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23] I love the gnarly look with the twisty design and the lichen - definitely works in colour. I also like the lighting.
I really like the TALL redwoods in high key, my eyes were scanning the photo photo because not one thing was drawing me in it was the whole picture. I do think the mono brings out the best in it too, I cant image it would look as good or have as much detail had it been in colour. Thumbs up from me.
Given lockdown and where I live I suspect there will be a lot more trees this time aroundAnother tree but a good one
@LC2 you should have seen it in the back of the camera - lit up like a christmas tree!Bright yes, over exposed? not so sure. As you say, it has a high key feel to it.
Good work Helen, it ticks the tall box so bang on theme. It is a little bright for my taste but it's brought out a lot of detail.
Lots of detail in there - hits the theme for tall for certain! The B&W has hidden any faint overexposure nicely - the high key look works.
No rule of thirds .... nothingBit of a compositional rule breaker but I rather like it...
I like all three of those but do wonder if a black and white conversion would also be worth trying especially on the first
I definitely prefer the one you chose for the main theme post. The subtle colour difference between the sky and snow is nice and the main focus of the tree but minimalist at the same time. Might work as well in B&W but I like this. I could have this on my wall [emoji106]
No rule of thirds .... nothing
Rules are meant to be broken, I think it works very well.
I like it.
I think that I agree with David's comment above. I really like #2.
I don't have an issue with the rule breaking that you done Helen, I just think that there is too much snow combined with too much sky. If it were me, I would do one of three things, crop out half the sky or crop out half the snow or crop out about a quarter/third of both the sky an snow.
Just my preference, still a great image.
You made the correct choice with your submission. I'd have been tempted to cut out some of the foreground....but i'd have been wrong! Like the way the trees line up too.
Snapper's. Can't beat a bit of rule breaking and I agree with some other posters that it might look even better in mono. Same goes for the second, which I like a lot.
Good work Helen, as for breaking the rules, I think that really works. It shows thought and attention to detail.
Having said that, I prefer the bottom image haha. Scrolling through your images it was the last one which grabbed my attention. I think it is because of the angle of the tree and how the large branch is parallel to the ground and the trees in the background.
I think breaking the rules here works. I like that the tallest tree is well defined against the background. All nice, and I think I'd have been torn between 1 and 3 for the main one.
We’ll it looks as if I’m the odd one out because I really like #2 the best .... love the symmetry of those trees.
I think I prefer the last one although they are all worthy nothing wrong with breaking the rules either
#2 wow !
It's number 2 for me, a lovely minimalist type image that works very well indeed, really nice composition.
I'm drawn to #2 here. I really like the way it divides the frame in thirds horizontally.
@Harlequin565 they are Long Tailed Tits. I get lots here and they tend to flock - sometimes I have up to eight at a time on the feeders.Well it's a pair! Birds on a feeder is about the extent of my wildlife photography and it's rarely very good because of the heavy cropping and through glass, so no suggestions here. Still - I find photos like this very enjoyable because I so rarely see it.
What are the birds? [/ignorance]
Thanks NickI love the apparent eye contact from the bottom of the pair, it really makes the shot!
@blakester. Thanks... there is a fence behind the feeder hence the split in the background making the top bright. Shooting from the window doesn't give me much option and, to be honest, I was just playing around so didn't think too much about composition... more about the judicious use of superglue on the feedersGood work Helen, bang on theme.
As Nick mentioned above, great eye contact from the bottom bird.
Can't offer any advice about wildlife photography but from a viewers point of view, I find the sky just a little bright.
Don't know if it's possible to shoot from a lower perspective or perhaps raise the feeder a little in relation to where you shoot from. I think that would bring the lovely lower background in.
It's still a great natural history photograph, with the creatures 'doing something'
@Allan.H Thanks.. I don't think I'll be doing a lot of it eitherYou have done fairly well to capture them they tend to dart about very rapidly can’t offer any advice though it’s not something I do a lot of
Any helpful advice more than welcome
Thanks @FlyPhot - I was lucky to get anything in focus. I suspect it would have been even worse without the R6's amazing autofocus!Very nice capture and as one who is just getting into photographing birds I know the difficulties and I know how well you've done to make this image. If I were to criticise (and I am definitely NOT qualified to do so with any conviction) and be 'really really' picky I would have preferred the bottom bird to have been the sharper of the 2 (but, as already said, I know how difficult that would be). Great job!
Thanks @Darkslinger - it's fat balls in the feeder. The Long Tail Tits love them.. they don't use any of the other feeders or food.I think that it's a great shot Helen regardless of shooting through a dirty window. Is it just multi-grain buns in the feeder?
With the tits gag having gone, I'll have to make do with the Fat Balls!!
Despite your constrictions, you've produced a very good photo. I too thought the sky a bit bright. But on closer inspection, it actually compliments the subject(s) well.
Thanks @susiejb - they are really cute. I only get them if I put fat balls out.. they aren't interested in anything else.Love those long tailed tits Helen, they have such cute faces don’t they, we just don’t get them here so I’m very jealous. I think considering you were shooting through glass they’ve turned out really well, I sometimes have the patio door open to take photos of the birds, I open it just a few inches to poke the long lens out while I try to keep in the warm
Thanks @Cloudforest - I have an awful lot of shots of the bird feeders... minus the birdsNicely photographed given the limitations. I’m not a great bird photographer and my technique involves taking many photos and then binning them all
That's a lovely photo, we used to have a group of long tailed tits coming to our feeders at our old house and they were always one of my favourites.
I find it really Hard to get a decent bird photo, you have done well.
Pete
Nice shot of long tailed tits. We have 9 that come to our feeder all at once - I love that they seem to come as a family. Such cute birds and you have captured them nicely - it even looks like you've got eye contact!
Pair
They're a nice pair.
I don't do any bird photography anymore, as I realised I'd need longer lenses (at the time my longest lens was 70-300). But what I did do, was set up my camera on a tripod outside and sit indoors and shoot remotely using the canon app on my phone. Not the easiest thing to do with a DSLR, but with your R6 I would think using eye AF it would yeald good results.
Hey Helen, do you make the fat balls yourself or do you buy them?