Autumn Bliss

Craig, you caught a very nice pose from the bird on our right, especially as enhanced by the reflection. But I agree with you that the sharpness just isn't there.

Love the colors in the water and that elegant pose. Agree that the birds are a bit soft, perhaps a bit more USM on the main bird's head. Having said that this sort of moody, sleepy image is more tolerant of a bit of softness. I question the need for f14 and such a low iso if sharpness is sought after.

Craig, I love the pose of the swan but this does seem too soft.

Wonderful pose and reflection Caig..
I like the sweeping curve of the wing with its tip just kissing the waters surface
Beautiful

such an elegant pose, and lovely colors and comp. could use a little ccw rotation, I think. agree about the sharpness, wondering why you chose the techs you did, especially such a low iso?

Thanks to all that not only took time to view this image but also added your comments and questions.

Personally and artistically I feel this image has a lot going for it. As mentioned my biggest disappointment is it's lacking of detail and how "soft" it is, that was out of my control and due to great distance to the subject. The information lacking to viewers is that these swans were approximately 125-160 feet away and the image is a 60% crop from the original. Even using a 600mm lens with a 1.4 TC, beanbag rest and cable release, the shot could not have been more steady unless perhaps using a tripod which was not permitted (cannot leave your vehicle.) In shooting with my 600 lens for 6 years I have learned to compensate for it's inherent shallow DOF which deteriorates with distance, thus the F/14 setting (shooting AV priority.) I would normally shoot with this lens at F/8. but was sure that settings DOF would have left one or both swans partly OOF. My decision on using the 160 ISO was based on not wanting to add anymore noise with a higher setting to an already soft image. In addition a higher ISO would have added some brightness which was already high with the swans bright whites.
While I may not always make the perfect technical decisions in shooting I am well aware that their are more then one way to capture an image and that is when the creative ability in each of us takes over.
I hope this explains better why I made the camera settings I made for this image. Thanks again for your input! Craig

Artistically and compositionally I find this wonderful. I really like the water color and the wing tip just touching the water. Looks like a poster! Well seen. Sharon

Neat reflection Craig. I like how the wing forms an arc.
May