Mourning Dove

Other than the twig in front of the tail and the shadow on the tail, which are minor nits in my opinion, I like this. The dove fits right into a clean space between the oof veg in the bg. Very nice catchlight and headturn, detail is wonderful in the larger version.

Richard, Thanks for posting this image. I some time do not post an image with a twig or branch crossing the bird. You have shown me that a excellent image can have a twig crossing the bird in a small area.

We're all aware, or learning to become aware, of the various compositional 'rules' that provide guidelines for composing our images. I'm often caught up in a dilemma of posting an image which has some clutter in the frame. What is acceptable and what is not? I think it comes down to personal taste...ultimately we should be capturing images that satisfy ourselves.

I like this image Rich-it's sharp, with a pleasing background and perch, and shows the bird well.

I like the contrast in this, the dark background makes the dove stand out more, it would of been a cleaner shot if the two branches in the lower left were not there but you get the shot when you can. An interesting shot of a common bird and they can be really fun to photograph or practice your photography on. This does raise a question for me that I have been curious about. Are Mourning Doves the most numerous bird (population wise) in North America?

What I like most about this image, Richard, is how our eyes are led from both sides to the dove. The branch even forms an arrow on the rhs! The image is very attractive but I think it would be even better without the OOF stuff on the lower lhs.

Very good! I like the nice light on the dove, the dark BG and the excellent detail. Is the issue you mention the branch in front of the tail? If so, it certainly doesn't bother me. The OOF stuff in the BG doesn't bother me either.

A superb shot Rich. Love the light, detail, and sharpness. The sleepy look from the bird adds a lot for me. The BG with OOF vege also adds for me versus a plain OOF BG. Excellent techs and image.

I like this image a lot, partly because of the framing of the OOF vegetation. It looks to me, but I must be wrong, that the OOF vegetation is in the FG and not the BG, though.

Very nice, clear image. The extraneous branches don't bother me as the eye is drawn to the face and body of the Dove. Pleasing background.

Actually a nice image, even if of a common subject. The background is nice and uncluttered and I like the richness of the greens. The perch is not clever, but it's curve fits nicely into the corner. I do wish the tail was a little less obscured. I might consider another round of sharpening-or maybe just selectively on the head feathers. The lower breast area is sharper than the head IMO.

Rich, I like the sleepy look of the dove, the lines of the composition, and the bg, including the way the oof veg frames the bird. I'm not sure that the oof stuff bothers me at all, but if it does, it's for obscuring the nice lines of the descending branches rather than the tail. I think the sharpening looks right--in my experience the breast feathers on MODOs have really strong feather detail (which easily becomes crunchy if oversharpened) that might create the feeling that they're sharper than the head. IMO the head looks good too.

I don't know... As much as I crave the perfect shot every time, and pick to death every flaw in each of my own images, to some extent, I'm feeling more than a little tired of the "perfect" BOAS and the sterility I see in setup images where nothing is out of place--the real world just isn't like that--and if you capture an image like that, it should be something special--not something automatic. I've done my share of setup photography in the last year and a half or so, trying for those "perfect" shots and trying to get the most "efficiency" out of my time in the field in terms of good shots per outing, but it seems like there's a really fine line between the "perfect' shot and a very sterile obviously set-up shot.

I'm not sure where all this is leading, not only in this comment but in my own photography. I appreciate the way you make me think about these things, and I very much appreciate your aesthetic and your approach. As my own approach and aesthetic develops, it is people like you, with experience and well thought out vision that are welcome guides along the way.

Well, that was a lot for one comment. Thanks for helping me think more about what I'm doing out there.

Brian

A very pleasing image with strong composition. The OOF leaves/stems in the background are just fine by me though the ones in front of the tail may not be ideal.

I appreciate the way you make me think about these things, and I very much appreciate your aesthetic and your approach. As my own approach and aesthetic develops, it is people like you, with experience and well thought out vision that are welcome guides along the way.

Ditto to that!

Beautiful colors and great detail. Oof branches rarely bother me and they don't distract me in this image either. With the wonderful detail of the bird I would consider a vertical crop.

Ray