How would you improve these images-feedback incorp

Hi Sam,

Thanks for the links to the images - impressive shots!

For the first, I think I can see what you are trying to show us - the bird in the expanse of water and a reference to it's 'hunting ground' I suspect. There's a couple of things I may be tempted to try and do with this one:
1. The water, though a fundamental part of the environment the eagle is in, is quite distracting due to it's mottled and heavily patterned look - there's a lot of patterns in this and the eye loves looking for patterns... Perhaps clone all the bird out and then apply a softening effect to the water layer to smooth that down?
2. I'd crop quite a bit off the RHS - still keep the bird in the LH corner but see if you can make it larger in the frame; it will still be amongst it's environment but you will make more of the spectacular look of the bird.
3. Drop the sharpening and/or contrast a little - I suspect I can see some edge highlights in both of these shots (but this one more than the other) which would get picked up on in other areas (and would be seen in a print for example)

For the second, then the same comments are generally the case, though the bird is much larger in the frame and benefits from that in my view. Again. try to soften the water down and yes; there is a rather eye-catching highlight just below the LH talon - clone it and lose it! I think this is definitely the stronger image of the two but a small degree of cropping (LH side in and up) would make it a much more dynamic diagonal subject in the frame - I think you've just managed to keep the feathers within the RH frame edge which is good - unless this is also an already cropped image where you could go back and give that just a fraction more space to the RH edge...?

They are both great captures though and I'm interested as to where these were taken - especially as you have such a high viewpoint to get these?

Thanks for sharing these and welcome to Dyxum - I've missed your 'introduction post'!

Best regards, Neil.

Very strong images, a bit to saturated for my liking of these beautiful bird(s).
#1 needs a square crop
#2 is just fine

my 2 cents

svjetlana wrote: Hi Sam, Composition of second one is better than first one. Position of bird in first image "exits" the frame. Viewer's eyes go out of frame looking for what eagle is looking for outside of frame. Top left corner would be better place for eagle if you had a choice.

Quite agree. Basic rule (and yes, I know rules can be broken!) is not have the subject looking out of the picture. If you cna't re-frame the picture, I'd be strongly tempted to clone more sea at the bottom (from another shot, maybe) and either blur the sea or add another bird sitting on the water that the eagle is supposed to be looking at.
Does this idea bother you?

Thank you everyone for the feedback so far.

The photographs are taken at the mouth of the Chehalis River, British Columbia, Canada. Every year in November thousands of Eagles arrive at this location during the Salmon run. The birds migrate from as far north as Alaska. There is approximately 300-500 local Eagles in the area.

Here is where I am at with the comments on the first image...I feel I need to spend some more time on the edit to tweek it further.

https://www.sammuracaphotography.com/Fine-Art-Galleries/Eagles/i-fNjn8g9

Thank you again for the feedback...Thoughts on the revised image?

Sam M

Great improvement on an already great shot

Shearwater wrote: ... bald eagles do not really look like that.

Apparently they do if they're photographed in full sunlight.



Link to source