Thrush and warbler from the Wetlands

pttennQuote:
Originally Posted by Accentor

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The Brown Thrasher shot is very, very good - did you do any PP? It could take just a little more unsharp mask.

I do not think that the first shot is very good; it looks "cold" and out of focus and I do not understand why people are saying that it is "good" - it isn't. No offense, but I prefer the truth!!


I'm trying to remember..I think I ran it through neat Image once and decreased the lightness because the chest feathers were too bright. You're right about the first one...I appreciate comments like that and so should everyone else...that's how you learn. Thanks.
Karen

Truth is do you like the first shot?
I personaly think the the first shot is very good, almost looks BW(with the coloured bits high lighted). Its personal preference. Its a very good, nice detailed photo IMHO.

philc123 wrote in post #3081097
Truth is do you like the first shot?
I personaly think the the first shot is very good, almost looks BW(with the coloured bits high lighted). Its personal preference. Its a very good, nice detailed photo IMHO.

Yeah, but I'm insecure enough to be influenced by anyone...lol. I don't think it is as bad as Accentor makes it sound but it is soft. It is darker as the bird was in the shade. Guess I could have brightened it more. Appreciate YOUR opinion also...<laughing>
Karen

Those are two of your best shots, ever. I would have tried to clone out the little branch across the rump of shot one, but probably would have ruined the picture in the process. The second shot is dead-on perfect.
Ain't it great when folks like your work?

Hi Karen,

I was going to PM you but then thought it best to put this in open forum. If you are like me (and I suspect from seeing your previous shots and reading your posts, then you probably are), then you prefer to have HONEST comments about your photos. As I said, one of the two shots was excellent (as in five-star) but I thought the other one wasn't, and people who reply and say "fantastic, great, fabulous, best yet, etc." are not really being of much help to you. I have veered away from my condemnation of the adjective "awesome" which seems to be thrown about willy nilly without a thought to what it means (in the U.K. it is a much hated and often derided word) - I am leaving the people who use this term indiscriminately to destroy the very meaning of the word. If a shot was "superlative", and very few are, then I would describe it as such, but I would not use it to describe mediocre or even good shots posted on this forum; superlative (aka "awesome") shots are what win prizes in international competitions, and they are quite rare.

I know that the BIRDS sub-forum is just for sharing, but I would have thought that most people would welcome a realsitic critique of what they had posted rather than just put up a couple of shots and sit back and wait for all the condescending "pleasantries". It is a good feeling to be told that your photos are good, excellent, fantastic (or even awesome!!), but I presonally also like to be told what is not that good and how it could be made better.

You are a very good photographer, and I admire your work.

Colin

Great job Karen, I love that 2nd image.

Accentor wrote in post #3083748
Hi Karen,

I was going to PM you but then thought it best to put this in open forum. If you are like me (and I suspect from seeing your previous shots and reading your posts, then you probably are), then you prefer to have HONEST comments about your photos.
Colin

PM sent rather than taking up space on the forum-but essentially I DO appreciate an honest opinion. Thanks!
Karen

Airedale1 wrote in post #3083886
Great job Karen, I love that 2nd image.

Thanks, Paul and VI, the comments are appreciated! And thanks to all who looked.
Karen

I keep going back to that first pic when I get these e-mails for this forum and at the risk of being pummeled by the WORD COPS, I still think it's an awesome shot.

This is a share bird pics forum, not a "critique the other members posts" forum.

I rarely critique here unless someone specifically asks for it or says it is welcome. It is, as has been pointed out, predominantly a sharing forum.

I do offer advice unasked now and then if there's something I can help a newbie with that seems obvious to me but that the novice may not notice.

I like the thrasher image very much, pttenn. It's excellent work.

stevefossimages wrote in post #3084243
I rarely critique here unless someone specifically asks for it or says it is welcome. It is, as has been pointed out, predominantly a sharing forum.

I do offer advice unasked now and then if there's something I can help a newbie with that seems obvious to me but that the novice may not notice.

I like the thrasher image very much, pttenn. It's excellent work.

I wondered why people were so much nicer here than on the other forums. I thought all the forums were for comments and critiques...my bad?? Guess I should put C&C welcome and appreciated. Thanks, Steve and Mitch.

I'd say they can devolve into that, but then, the world is made up of all kinds of people. I know as a Mod on another forum, there are many more lurkers than there are posters. Some are here to copy images, some are here to read, and some just live here, looking and reading.

But there are a fair amount who never post because they are afraid of sounding stupid then being attacked for it, or in their own mind, their pictures don't measure up and they don't want the bums rush because of it, or that perfect depressant, not getting any comments at all. Which is one of the reasons I will answer the zero posts at the bottom of the page first. If someone whipped up the courage to post their blurred out of focus shot of a dove, they went to a lot of trouble to do it. If I went to the trouble of clicking the link, it's not so hard for me to say something nice about it, as there is always something nice that can be said of any shot. Hey, pretty is as pretty does, right?

Nice shots, Karen. The second one is a real beauty !

Do you mind if I try and clone out the limb over the warblers back and repost ?

The second shot is brilliant. It would look perfect on the front of a magazine. The first shot is fine, maybe cropped in too far just a touch. Having it a bit further out might have kept it a bit sharper.

canonloader wrote in post #3084369
I'd say they can devolve into that, but then, the world is made up of all kinds of people. I know as a Mod on another forum, there are many more lurkers than there are posters. Some are here to copy images, some are here to read, and some just live here, looking and reading.

But there are a fair amount who never post because they are afraid of sounding stupid then being attacked for it, or in their own mind, their pictures don't measure up and they don't want the bums rush because of it, or that perfect depressant, not getting any comments at all. Which is one of the reasons I will answer the zero posts at the bottom of the page first. If someone whipped up the courage to post their blurred out of focus shot of a dove, they went to a lot of trouble to do it. If I went to the trouble of clicking the link, it's not so hard for me to say something nice about it, as there is always something nice that can be said of any shot. Hey, pretty is as pretty does, right?

I hear what you say, and apprecciate that you really do nurture posts from relatively inexperienced members. However, despite this being a "sharing" forum you cannot really expect posters to receive only complimentary comments - that would be totally false.

Might it not be that your opinion: "But there are a fair amount who never post because they are afraid of sounding stupid then being attacked for it, or in their own mind, their pictures don't measure up.." could be due to the fact that 99.9% of replies are ultra-complimentary rather than being truthful and saying what one really thinks of a series or particular photo; if I was a total "newbie" and read nothing but comments like "fantastic, superb, brilliant, great, awesome, etc." then I would be a bit hesitant about posting my own photos.

Encouragement and false praise are two completely different things, and whereas the former is great for a newbie, the latter is of no good to anyone.

I really am only trying to be helpful and constructive.

I know you are, when you talk about the pictures being posted. But then getting sidetracked into saying things like, "I have veered away from my condemnation of the adjective "awesome" which seems to be thrown about willy nilly without a thought to what it means (in the U.K. it is a much hated and often derided word) - I am leaving the people who use this term indiscriminately to destroy the very meaning of the word." really serves no purpose other than to make those who said awesome or great shot, or wonderful, [their opinion], feel bad for being nice. In the UK, awesome may be a much hated word, [your opinion], but then, the UK is just one tiny island in a big world.