morning dance

Gallery: AvianPosted April 21, 201147 views6 comments

My wife and I have been talking about the topic of "Ballance" in composition. This is something I have struggled with a bit. This image came up on the topic, and I wondered what you think about the inclusion of the tree branches on the left. My thought was that the tree limbs ballance out the brown viens of the tree the heron is standing on. Thanks for any coments and critiques. D300, 200-400mmVR, at 340mm, ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/2500sec. handheld from kayak.

Comments

6 comments

Comment posted by Philip Hodgkins on April 21, 2011 at 12:18 PM

If you think of balance in terms of how the subject dominates the frame, and what exactly the subject is—Morning Dance—then you can answer the question: "do the tree limbs help the subject, or are they just useless detail?" The more your eyes stay on, and are interested in the principal subject, the stronger the image. Anything else is just junk. If this were mine, I would have cropped it just past the almost vertical branch and cloned out the remaining branches. I'm not that big a fan of cloning anymore, but sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do.

Registered on July 24, 2006, 2741 Posts, 12349 Comments

Comment posted by Kenneth Arni on April 21, 2011 at 1:31 PM

Thanks Phil, That's a good way of putting it.

Registered on December 24, 2008, 112 Posts, 629 Comments

Comment posted by Mia McPherson on April 21, 2011 at 1:59 PM

Ken, I think the branches and & treee provide a nicebalance for your heron photo, to me none of those features detracts from the frame. I would like to see a little more room above the heron's head though. Lovely light, details and sharpness.

Registered on June 25, 2007, 491 Posts, 12566 Comments

Comment posted by Walt Sterneman on April 21, 2011 at 3:33 PM

I think I agree with Mia Ken. The branches don't bother me and I feel they give a nice feel of the bird in a natural setting. I think I'd leave them in.

Registered on March 24, 2010, 73 Posts, 1268 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Dudley on April 21, 2011 at 7:39 PM

Ken, I really like the herons pose - lots of depth to the bird. I'd leave the branches too.

Registered on March 30, 2007, 437 Posts, 10915 Comments

Comment posted by Ashley Vincent on April 21, 2011 at 11:19 PM

First and foremost, this is a wonderfully rich, detailed and striking image, and it a real treat for the eye, many thanks for sharing Ken :^)

As to you question, I think the vast majority of people you show this image to and ask their opinion will agree with Mia and Ron, and I also feel, seeing this as you've presented it with the balance of the extra branches, that the composition works very well.

However, had you simply shown us a version of this with those branches on the right all removed but without telling us at first, I think my immediate appreciation for this image would have all the greater, for the way I imagine it would have even more visual impact; strong visual impact being something that appeals to me in photographic images much more than more subtle and, perhaps, softer impressions (though I do like that sort too!).

In line with that then, if this were mine I would definitely choose to eliminate those branches, either way though this is an excellent capture and one I'd be proud of having taken ;^)

Registered on March 1, 2011, 154 Posts, 2083 Comments