Challenge: the Bird picture as art!

Asher Kelman · Dec 25, 2006

Don Cohen said:
I agree that creating an "artistic" bird photograph can be challenging. Sometimes using a wider angle and providing the environmental setting in which it lives can help, and other times capturing an elegant movement or body position will give the effect. And certainly dramatic lighting will enhance just about any photograph, but can't be created on demand!

In fact, this is not a bad topic for a separate thread - providing examples of bird (or other wildlife) photographs that have a more explicit 'artistic' component, at least compared to a well-taken photograph that might be great for birders, or bird guide books.

In this cormorant shot, I would be interested to see how it would change if a lower shooting angle were possible (e.g. parallel to the water, so that the background is the surrounding scene, woods, shoreline, or whatever it might be, rather than the water behind it). And shooting at a wider angle might incorporate enough of the environment to give a sense of the bird's 'home.' This doesn't take anything away from this perfectly good shot, and is offered to provide some additional approaches the next time you're out shooting.

So here we are! Let's see what you have in the way of approaches to making the artistic bird photograph, perhaps using some of Don's suggestions or other ideas you have.

Please give a brief background for the picture and how it was approached and then the camera details and the processing.

If the picture is part of a series, show up to 4 related images but then explain the set!

Add your title and voila we have a great challenge!

Winston Rockwell · Dec 26, 2006

Shades of gray

bird photos as art! Dear Lord, what have we done???

okay, well, i don't know how "artistic" this is, but it does capture elegance of movement and grace...

i shot this Great Blue Heron in flight across open water on an overcast, gray day. if memory serves me correctly. this was shot at about 1/320, f5.6, with a Sigma EX 80-400 on a Canon 30D.

Winston Rockwell · Dec 26, 2006

Portrait of a hunter

here's a close-up portrait of a GBH. the bird was hunting in the shallows near a boardwalk at a local park, and the late afternoon light was perfect. i waited for the heron to move a bit closer, then composed this shot to take advantage of the fading sunlight. the soft backdrop really highlights the bird... this was shot with a Panasonic FZ20 and an Olympus TCON-14B 1.4x teleconverter. exposure settings - 1/60 sec @ f3.3, 12x zoom plus the converter, which yields an effective focal length of about 600mm.

Asher Kelman · Dec 26, 2006

The birds in flight is graceful and a work of art!

The next "600mm" shot is fine lit from the right with golden light. I'd want to see more of the curvacious neck that is just a little short for the horizontal lying head.

Did you crop the image?

Anyway, your first picture certainly works for me!

Asher

Tom Henkel · Dec 26, 2006

My attempt..

I don't really do a lot of wildlife shooting, but here's one where I was going more for an artistic impression rather than bird shot per se. I made the sky a little bluer than it was in real life, but other than that, this shot accurately reflects the conditions at the time.

Tom

Brian Lowe · Dec 26, 2006

Having just returned from the Central Pacific of Costa Rica here is a photo of a White Ibis taken on the Tarcoles River. Not sure if this is art or just a bird striking a pose. Taken with a 600mm L @ f/5.6. More photos will be posted soon.

-Brian-

Don Cohen · Dec 26, 2006

I've enjoyed the images shared so far. As with all of you, I struggle a bit to find images that can clearly be put in the "artistic" category. I guess not having a working definition of just what that means doesn't make it any easier! The flight shots here seem to fall more naturally in this area, and I have a bird silhouette against sky image I was considering posting as well. For now, though, I'll add the following image.

This was taken at Machias Seal Island in July, 2004. I had traveled there specifically to photograph the Atlantic Puffins there, and had basically 45 minutes in a bird blind to do it. The conditions were foggy and cloudy, not exactly what I had in mind. I processed this image a bit more in Photoshop than I normally do, with color saturation and balance, minimizing sharpening, to try and bring out the 'dreamy' quality that the scene contained. It was shot with the original Canon 1D, 100-400L @ 180 mm, ISO 800, f/8, 1/400 second, handheld.

'Dreamy' Puffin Landscape

Whether it's "art" I don't know, but it is definitely in a category different from my usual images.

Jörgen Nyberg · Dec 27, 2006

Here's one, that was taken with consideration to the dramatic backdrop, thunderstorm growing on the horizon. While keeping a small portion of the mountain, to keep the clouds in perspective.

Sailing seagull:

Taken on an island, a couple of miles from home.
EOS 300D with a EF300/4L, on a monopod.

Jörgen

Jörgen Nyberg · Dec 27, 2006

Portrait of a seagull:

Tried to keep the light as even as possible. Overcast sky, water in the background.
EOS 300D with a EF300/4L (no crop), on a monopod.

Jörgen

Marian Howell · Dec 27, 2006

i have 2 that i can't choose between for presenting here

they are both, as far as i am concerned, "art shots" not "nature shots" for 2 reasons:
1) they were taken for color and light reasons
2) they were not taken to show anything specific about the heron
but then i got to thinking about this, and i wonder, when do we as photographers take shots that are *not* in some way art?? in the end, don't we pick the keepers based on composition, light, "the moment", and the like? aren't we aiming to acheive *good* pictures? sports photography would seem to have the same philosphic dilemma, i would think...
enough talk! my contributions:

FALL HERON

10d, 300mm, 1/1500, f/6.7, iso 200

SUNRISE HERON

5d, 300mm+1.4x, 1/1000, f/4, iso 400

Marian Howell · Dec 27, 2006

thanks, don! i was editing it at the same time

)) i keep forgetting about the "insert image" button

Don Cohen · Dec 27, 2006

Marian Howell said:
thanks, don! i was editing it at the same time )) i keep forgetting about the "insert image" button

No problem. I happened to be sitting at my computer doing some stuff when I received email notification of the post. I thought I might wait, in case you were editing, but hadn't done this type of editing before, and wanted to make sure I could do it!

I think your comments are appropriate - it's likely that there is an 'artistic' component to basically all photographs. My background and primary mental orientation is extremely left-brained, with very little 'artistic' aspects in general, so I'm always a bit reluctant to call anything I do art!

Perhaps one aspect of a more 'artistic' photography would be that it tries to conveys mood and emotion on the part of the person viewing it, as opposed to, or perhaps in addition to, appreciation of the beauty, color, etc. of the subject. To the extent this is the case, that might be why shots having birds or animals as part of a landscape, rather than as a tigher close-up, seem to my limited brain a bit more 'artsy' than much of the work I do. The images you post here fall in that category.

In the same way, while both photos are quite good, Jörgen's sailing seagull seems to my eye more 'artsy' than the portrait, but I would be interested in other reactions. I would guess that another aspect of an 'artistic' image is that it will have different reactions by different people, according to what the observer 'brings to the table.'

Enough rambling!!

Marian Howell · Dec 27, 2006

Don Cohen said:
Perhaps one aspect of a more 'artistic' photography would be that it tries to conveys mood and emotion on the part of the person viewing it, as opposed to, or perhaps in addition to, appreciation of the beauty, color, etc. of the subject. To the extent this is the case, that might be why shots having birds or animals as part of a landscape, rather than as a tigher close-up, seem to my limited brain a bit more 'artsy' than much of the work I do. The images you post here fall in that category.

Click to expand...

good point! a response/reaction from the viewer being part of the "art".

In the same way, while both photos are quite good, Jörgen's sailing seagull seems to my eye more 'artsy' than the portrait

Click to expand...

to my eye as well...but then, i wonder when a good portrait is *not* art? no answer required, just a pondering )

Enough rambling!!

Click to expand...

i'm done!

Asher Kelman · Dec 27, 2006

These pictures are starting to get my interest in what you can do! I am impressed with this thoughtful photography. The pictures are not "artsy" when they have embedded inside the form feelings, thoughts, intentions, volition and purpose in a compelling composition, tonality and color set that makes you re-experience all this each time you look.

There is a spectrum to the full richness of art starting from a documentation.

I am impressed, learning and enjoying your photographs.

Asher

Ivan Garcia · Dec 27, 2006

The dauck in the Stone

Wonderful images guys.
I took this one last June while walking through a water reservoir, I liked the texture of the stone and how it complimented the duck's colours. Not sure if it is art I let you judge for yourselves.

Canon 5D, 100-400mmL @400. F/9 1/320 sec. ISO-100

Marian Howell · Dec 27, 2006

nice shot ivan...i too like the complimentary colors, and i think the royal blue really brings this out. what's "art" about it to me is the low "golden light" angle and the glow it brings to her chest, her eye, and the definition it gives to the top of the head! it takes me to a place and a time - maybe that is what makes it "art" and thus more than a shot of a duck.

Winston Rockwell · Dec 27, 2006

clearly a "portrait" photo. i wanted to bring out the detail and color of the Mallard's feathers against the blurred backdrop, and this drake offered me a perfect pose... 30D, 80-400 lens, 400mm, 1/640 @ f5.6...

Ivan Garcia · Dec 27, 2006

Thank you Marian.
I like your heron shots too, together with Don’s shot, IMHO yours and Don’s are very artistic indeed.
I especially like your sunrise heron.
The scenery works very well for me, Herons are quiet large birds yet, with the pond in the background, yours looks almost lost in the wilderness, as if he couldn’t find his way to the food source, wonderful.
Don’s shot works for me, the mist ads to a fantastic feeling of being there, the struggle of life and death that is the natural world, is emphasized by the fog, I really like this image; , I am a huge fan of Don’s work, (I am, as we speak, saving money for his next Costarican safari), so, I maybe bias.
Winston’s Duck portrait doesn’t do it for me, although a very well focused and exposed image, the out of focus blade of grass in the foreground spoils it for me.

Angela Weil · Dec 27, 2006

I'm not sure how I could fit in this impressive display of specialist bird shooters. But I try.
My attempt at birds: All pictures are taken in captivity, the eagle and the pelican at the zoo in Heidelberg. In both cases, the captive effect can be seen either because of the shadow of the fence or by the trace of the chain link fence in the background.

The series of the little penguin and the small birds (I have no idea what kind they are, but they look like quite a big bird to me, once they grow up) are from the breeding station of a bird park in France (Le Parc des Oiseaux, Villars-Les-Dombes). I also have no idea why they have to keep the small birds away from their parents. You would not believe how loud such a small penguin can scream.

http://www.awl-photo.com/new/folder_DSmallBirds/

http://www.awl-photo.com/new/folder_APenguin/index.php?page=0

Sorry about the links. Even after an extensive search, I have not found a description on how to upload images. Anyway, series have their own limitations.
Greetings,
Angela

Winston Rockwell · Dec 27, 2006

Ivan Garcia said:
Winston’s Duck portrait doesn’t do it for me, although a very well focused and exposed image, the out of focus blade of grass in the foreground spoils it for me.

um... Ivan? i'm confused as to what it is you're seeing in that photo... there IS no blade of grass in the foreground! there wasn't a blade of grass anywhere near the duck, and anything you see in the background was a good 15-20 behind him...

Ivan Garcia · Dec 27, 2006

Winston Rockwell said:
um... Ivan? i'm confused as to what it is you're seeing in that photo... there IS no blade of grass in the foreground! there wasn't a blade of grass anywhere near the duck, and anything you see in the background was a good 15-20 behind him...

Hi Winston.
I may be wrong, and is not a blade of grass; there is however, a very distracting blade of something going diagonally across the beak, and this is the blade of grass I am referring to. The picture is very well exposed and focused, but that diagonal out of focus band spoils it for me, my eyes want to concentrate in the wonderful green and blue textures, but keep focusing on the band instead.
Perhaps you could try a bit of dodge painting on it, so as to make it less obvious.
Just my two cents.

Winston Rockwell · Dec 28, 2006

you must be looking at the very indistinct, lighter band in the background... that's a tree trunk some distance behind the duck. i suppose i could clean that up a bit in PS, to make it appear even less distinct than it is, but frankly, i'd never really even noticed it before. i'll try blurring it out in PS and see how it looks...

Angela Weil · Dec 28, 2006

Birds...

Thank you Don for adding the images to the post.
I would have preferred a brief note or reference to a description as to how to include images in a posting in the future. It feels strange that my post is being edited without notice and I still don't know how to do it right.

)
Angela

Don Cohen · Dec 28, 2006

Winston - relooking at your Duck portrait, I see what Ivan is talking about - it's the lighter green swath that goes from the bottom of the frame, up and to the right, behind the Duck's bill. It must be in the background, as you point out. All other things being equal, I would rather it not be there, and perhaps some work in Photoshop could de-emphasize it, but this is still a fairly strong image.

Ivan - many thanks for the kind words, and it would be great if you could join us in Costa Rica! Your duck image is also quite strong, with great technical detail. And I agree that the color complementing works in this photo.

Angela - I appreciate your participation here. We were both preparing out posts at the same time, so they partly crossed. I edited your post to put the 2 individual images inline with your message. When you're posting, just click on the little "Insert Image" button, and then copy/paste in the link to your image (obtained by right-clicking on your image, selecting Properties, so that the URL is shown for the copy/paste). Even with the fence shadow in the 2nd image, there is something there that appeals to me.

Keep 'em coming!

Ivan Garcia · Dec 28, 2006

Hi Angela.
I really like your Eagle picture, had you not stated his captivity status I would not have noticed the cross pattern behind it, it looks more like a random coincidence than a fence.
The pelican picture would have benefited from a lower angle; the bars shadow is very obvious. So getting the bars shadow from the top to bottom in the frame, would have given the image a more powerful statement of captivity.
In any case both are accomplished images, well done!
Don.
Thank you for your kind words, I am very pleased you liked my duck ;-)
I would love to join you next spring in Costa Rica, it all depends on a variety of factors, but the heart and soul is willing :-D.

Marian Howell · Dec 28, 2006

angela, the eagle is quite striking! i am drawn to the lines in the shot, the quadralinear aspect of the background lines from the fence on the left which echo the intersection of the body and neck on the right side. the angle of light also brings this out. and monochrome suits the image well.
what camera/lens did you shoot with?

Angela Weil · Dec 28, 2006

Birds...

Don: Oh yes, I see, that was close timing. Thank you for your kind words about the pictures and the explanation. Btw, I'm working on some changes to my web site. If I change things there, the links here will be dead-ends - right? How can I work around this problem?

Ivan: Glad you like the eagle. Concerning the pelican, you are right, a lower angle would have helped the image. That was not possible however, because he is sitting in an empty pool below the walkway.
Actually, most animal pictures work better on 'eye level' with the subject or lower. A friend of mine recently described specially equipped photo safari vehicles used in the wildlife parks in Africa: They have a remote controlled arm to hold a camera approximately 15 - 30 cm above the ground. Gets you these incredibly close shots of a lion with a wide angle lens without having to offer yourself up as a snack (or having two guys with guns stand next to you).

Marian: Thank you for your comment. The pelican picture is older, I used the Nikon F4 and Fuji Reala (scanned and converted), the eagle is a recent image and done with the D2X and the 105 macro VR, both handheld. It was the first outing with this macro lens and the results were a positive surprise to me. I did not notice the crosshatch pattern while taking the picture, but I like the way they turned out.

Angela

Don Cohen · Dec 28, 2006

Angela Weil said:
Don: Oh yes, I see, that was close timing. Thank you for your kind words about the pictures and the explanation. Btw, I'm working on some changes to my web site. If I change things there, the links here will be dead-ends - right? How can I work around this problem?

Unfortunately, any change in the URL on your website would not automatically be updated here. Basically, if the address on your end changes (which would likely occur with most changes you'd make on your site, although not necessarily), the links here would have to be updated. If the system here allows you to edit your post, you can do it yourself. But I know that on some forums, the software only allows the original poster to edit theirs for a limited period of time, and if that is the way it works here, you won't be able to. In that case, just email or pm me, provide the correct URL's, and I can go in and edit the post to restore the proper links.

Best,

Steve Fines · Dec 28, 2006

Hello,

Here are two ideas.

First is a double breasted cormorant silohouetted against a sunset sky.

Second is a pelican against a pre-dawn pink sky.

If anyone had any comments, criticisms, thoughts, etc. I'm all ears.

I've been trying to sell these as 'art', so I hope they qualify.

Ivan Garcia · Dec 28, 2006

WOW, stop the press, we have the front page!!!
Steve these are amazing, most definitely art.
You have moved the benchmark quite far.
Chapeau!!!

Challenge: the Bird picture as art!

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief

New member

New member

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief

New member

New member

Guest

New member

New member

New member

New member

Guest

New member

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief

New member

New member

New member

New member

New member

New member

New member

New member

New member

Guest

New member

New member

New member

Guest

New member

New member