What makes THE BEST picture? (1 Viewer)

[AmazonSupreme12]

Hello to everyone out there! I was just wondering somethingo
What makes the BEST shot (birdwise) in your opinion?



My opinion: A good background and a great pose!


PS: I could use some tips myself
Let 'em roll!
AS:eat::t:

 

[stuartvine]

The "best picture" might not even be that great of the bird itself. I think one of my best pictures was of a Chinese Bulbul. The combination of the bird, the flowers and plant stems and a misty background look quintessentially Chinese. As a pure bird picture it is pretty poor.

 

[Farnboro John]

Something that captures the essence of the bird. For something like a swift or a falcon the background might be all sky: it is what the bird looks like, is posed like, what it is doing, how it is lit that makes the difference between a decent pic and a really great one.

Correct use of depth of field for the subject and the environment it is in, as well.

There's a Hoatzin photo in the Gallery which is the best bird photo I've ever seen. Ever. Anywhere.

If I can find the thread it was mentioned in I'll post a link.

Here: http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=155241&highlight=Hoatzin

John

 

[John Cantelo]

It depends on what you want out of a photo I suppose. Personally, I'm not too keen on photos where the bird fills the whole of the photo, but if the aim is to provide plumage details to help with ID then that's a good photo. My own particular 'thing' is that I like photos where the bird is relatively small, but the composition of which means it's the first thing you notice. I also like birds to face towards the greater space on the photo so they've somewhere to fly into ...

 

[Warixenjalka]

Something that captures the essence of the bird. For something like a swift or a falcon the background might be all sky: it is what the bird looks like, is posed like, what it is doing, how it is lit that makes the difference between a decent pic and a really great one.

Correct use of depth of field for the subject and the environment it is in, as well.

There's a Hoatzin photo in the Gallery which is the best bird photo I've ever seen. Ever. Anywhere.

If I can find the thread it was mentioned in I'll post a link.

Here: http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=155241&highlight=Hoatzin


John

Thats really amazing photo!

I like photos where is some action what tells something about that species habits. Ofcourse it would be nice if the subject in photo is sharp. Like that Hoazin. :t:

 

[Ross McGregor]

I think it may be too personal to characterise the "perfect" picture. This is one of my favourites:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/05/sci_nat_wildlife_photography_2005/html/1.stm

It's black and white and blurry with no detail at all. But for me it captures the moment perfectly. It's so full of movement and drama.

 

[Jhanlon]

I like the way this is going...I can do blurry, I can do small image size. There's hope for my photographic skills yet ;-)

Both great images, especially the hoatzin.

Action shots are great too. Though techniquely not the best photo ever who can forget the famous 'weaselpecker' pic from last yr? So famous I'm not even going to link to it as I reckon everyone on here has seen it!

I did my A-level art thesis on bird paintings over the last 100 years and noticed many of the recent 'best' were those where the bird was depicted very small and an integral and complementary part of the scene, arguably the opposite to what many photographers are trying to achieve (though see John C's comment, above). On earlier paintings the emphasis was usually on detailed close-up, usually from a shot specimen as a model.

Composition is important and I too prefer to see a bird facing or moving into the frame (and usually off centre) though something fast crashing out of the frame may be effective if you can pull it off.

Unusual behaviour, use of reflections and or shadow for artistic effect or a shot that captures an encounter or threat display or unusual pose - all make great pictures. Colours are lovely too but can be easily enhanced now at the post-processing stage.

 

[AmazonSupreme12]

Action shots are great too. Though techniquely not the best photo ever who can forget the famous 'weaselpecker' pic from last yr? So famous I'm not even going to link to it as I reckon everyone on here has already seen it!.

I haven't

 

[CalvinFold]

"The Best" depends too much of the viewer. I happen to like all the "types" listed in this thread: action blur, frozen moments, high contrast, frame-filling, in-environment, artistic reflections, extreme closeups, extreme feather details, etc. And I shoot all around that spectrum myself, by accident or intent.

If my own gallery is any indication, what people like in a bird photo is not always what I would have considered a good photo. Or even what someone with a degree in photography would consider great.

I don't have any "best" or "great" compared to other photos I've seen in the gallery that far surpass my own, and likely never will unless by dumb luck, so I don't go looking at other folk's photos with that criteria in mind. Nor would I ever think to coach others on what is best (even though I do know a few techniques, like the aforementioned "bias the bird towards the side opposite of where they are looking/flying" or the "2/3 rule").

I figure you should take photos that make you happy. If someone else enjoys them, all the better, but it's only a fortunate side-effect.

Though I admit that Hoatzin is...just...wow. :t:

 

[Jhanlon]

Action shots are great too. Though techniquely not the best photo ever who can forget the famous 'weaselpecker' pic from last yr? So famous I'm not even going to link to it as I reckon everyone on here has seen it!

Techniquely...think I just invented a word there, I was trying to say 'technically'. But I like it! B

 

[owl flight]

There's a Hoatzin photo in the Gallery which is the best bird photo I've ever seen. Ever. Anywhere.

If I can find the thread it was mentioned in I'll post a link.

Here: http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=155241&highlight=Hoatzin

John

a stunning photo... however, imho it would have been better if just the tip of the bill was touching the water & the reflection was included. absolutely no criticism intended, only praise

 

[KenM]

For me...Specimen (although not always, normally male..excepting Phalaropes of course), Lighting and Posture.

cheers