[mmphotos]

Hi all, I'm brand new to the forums (although I have been following them for a little while) and hope to become involved in your community. I took up photography around three years ago and have done a LOT of reading since. I have eventually started to produce some photographs that I am not totally embarrassed to show people, so have started compiling them on my own little website. I recently took a shot of a Dotterel and I was trying to get a little bit of a different look to the normal portrait close up shots that I see, but most people that I have shown it to have almost dismissed it because it is a habitat shot. Perhaps people do not like habitat shots as much? Maybe there is something else that I am missing with my photo? I have tried to follow all of the advice I have read, nice early morning light, leaving some space for the bird to look into, etc... Any constructive criticism, help or pointers would be greatly received.

Thanks

[Roy C]

Hi Matt and welcome to BF. What a cracking bird to start with, its hard to tell with a pic this small but everything looks good to me apart from the birds HA (head angle) which is a minor point. The bird is looking slightly away from you where as ideally it would be better if it was looking slightly towards you, like I say a minor point. The composition looks very good to me. Having never managed a shot of a Dotterel myself I would like to think this shot was mine.

[Chalky W]

Welcome to BF Matt,

To echo Roy what a cracking start, hope you start your gallery and continue to post. Personally i'd ignore Roys comment about the head angle (sorry Roy) as I'd be more than chuffed to post that pic, superb stuff. Lots of people get hung up on getting that close detailed shot (myself included) but habitat shots are just as valid, this being a cracking case for it.

To contradict myself, if you want us to be really picky then Roy is right as it would be slightly better with the bird looking towards rather than away but that is just being really picky.

If you love it then what's the problem. It looks perfect to me. I'll look forward to seeing more posts from you soon I hope.

Hands off Roy, its my pic..............

[delia todd]

I'd like to even see one! I'd be over the moon with a shot like this.

'Habitat' shots are equally as valid as a zoomed in close-up of plumage detail, as you really get a feel for their jizz.

Welcome to Birdforum from all the staff here and I hope we'll see some of your pictures in the Gallery too.

D

[Macswede]

The people who dismissed this picture don't know much about wildlife photography. Otherwise I agree with Roy and Chalky.

[Keith Reeder]

I love bird-in-habitat shots. They say a lot more than frame-filling extreme close-ups, which - frankly - say more about the lens in use than the bird.

People who don't get habitat shots are idiots, IMHO.

I'd like to see this image bigger, and I'd prefer a bit off the top so that it's in a standard 1.5 aspect ratio, but aside from that it looks pretty damn' good to me.

I'm in agreement about the head angle: this is a fine image, but there's a de facto "ideal" for head angles (Blame Art Morris. The Head Angle Police are everywhere! ), and a few more degrees of head rotation would have pushed this one from very good to great.

The processing and colours are on the money too.

What camera and lens, Matt?

[mmphotos]

Hi all,

Many thanks for your responses and encouraging words. I agree that it is a wonderful subject and certainly a bird that I had not seen before until I managed to get the pictures. I was told of a pair, not far from my home, so it would have been rude not to go and have a look!!

I've viewed this photo many times, even though I have read some things about head angle, it just did not cross my mind!! I certainly didn't know of the 'Head Angle Police' and having read the very helpful information in the link provided, will certainly try to utilise it in my future photos. I guess they call that learning!!

You mention a 'standard 1.5 aspect ratio', and I must admit, I thought it was. Shows how much I know!! I will have to try and change it to this and repost it. I will also try and post a bigger version. I hit some problems with file sizes when I tried with a bigger one first time around, but having done some reading, I think I know where I went wrong.

Keith, I took it with a Canon 7d and 500mm f4 lens on loan from a friend. I will not be able to post the bigger image until next weekend, as I am doing some last minute packing for my trip to Skomer tomorrow morning. I'm out there for 5 days, so I am hoping that I will manage a few images to upload to the galleries and show you all when I return.

Many thanks again for all of your help. I have learnt a lot and taken on board loads more things to think about to try and improve my photos.

[thornlv]

I too concur regarding habitat shots, after all they show the subject off in its natural state - this would be an example I would be quite pleased with although it would not get my '5' and 'blue' ratings (bridge ratings and labels, both equalling my best expectations regarding sharpness, composition and subject) but it's close. My attempt would have a little further over to the right to get a more frontal light source