Feeding Fantail

[tbond]

A fantail flitting around as it chases its breakfast in this insect hatch.
My second image submitted for critique.

[theantiquetiger]

Here is my critique. IMO, the shot shows nothing, it looks like dead bird lying on it's back on concrete. The bird is too far off the focal point of the shot and the insects just look like specks. I know the bird doesn't have to be center of the frame, but I feel it is not placed well.

The shot does nothing for me. Maybe just concentrating on the bird, using a little faster speed for better definition of the bird. The sky is lost as well. I am guessing it is a very cloudy day.

[Marko]

As a newbie antiquetiger, i think you should restrain your critiques somewhat and make them friendlier. Saying that a shot shows nothing attacks the poster and does not help the poster. This forum is a FRIENDLY forum and friendly critiques are welcome and appreciated.

I disagree with this critique 100%. I find the perspective here quite intriguing and I like the composition a lot. In no way did i think this was a dead bird on the sidewalk because it's clear to me the bird is in flight. The shot is soft though and it may be because the focus is missed OR the shot was uploaded at greater than 275K and is compressed by the forum software. Hope that helps- Marko

[NorthStone]

I agree with Marko. Your critique was not encouraging antiquetiger. All of us, amateur or pro are continuing to learn all the time and when we post our critiques we're choosing words with care to help and not to hinder..

As for the pic, I have no problem with it. It's an interesting perspective and draw's your attention. A little sharpness could have worked better but otherwise I like it.

BW,
NorthStone

[Wicked Dark]

FWIW I don't find theantiquetiger's critique harsh, just honest. Continuing in that vein I'm sort of meh about this one, too. It's underexposed and out of focus. However exciting the moment was, it didn't translate into a technically good image. It is fun though in a sort of 'would you look at that' sort of way. And if this image was presented with no commentary, would you know what you were looking at? It would take me a bit to connect with it for sure.

[thoughton]

I also think antiquetiger's critique was blunt, but not unfair. The photo doesn't work for me on several levels. It's much too soft (in fact I'd say it was simply out of focus, and not merely soft). I also couldn't tell the bird was flying at first, I thought it was sitting/standing on some kind of clear glass which had a load of dead bugs on it There also seems to be image quality issues (noise, and/or jpeg artefacts), most noticeable in the yellow part of the bird's torso.

The bird has been captured in a nice pose though, I like the symmetry in the wings and tail. Composition seems okay to me, perhaps slightly too much space at the top.

[theantiquetiger]

As a newbie antiquetiger, i think you should restrain your critiques somewhat and make them friendlier. Saying that a shot shows nothing attacks the poster and does not help the poster. This forum is a FRIENDLY forum and friendly critiques are welcome and appreciated.

I disagree with this critique 100%. I find the perspective here quite intriguing and I like the composition a lot. In no way did i think this was a dead bird on the sidewalk because it's clear to me the bird is in flight. The shot is soft though and it may be because the focus is missed OR the shot was uploaded at greater than 275K and is compressed by the forum software. Hope that helps- Marko

I don't mean to sound rude or unfriendly, just honest and helpful. That is a big problem with forums (I am a admin of one myself), people read with what they think is the emotion of the poster. I've had to break up many on line fights because of the way something was read.

TBond, take my critique with a grain of salt because I am a novice (sub-novice actually) as well.

I feel the shot missed what TBond saw with his naked eye. This is the first time I've seen the shot on a big screen (I was posting from my phone last night), and I still think it was missed. The gray background is what's taking away from the shot. The bird does not look like its inflight to me. It looks like it has been positioned somehow (like dead on its back).

If I was shooting this, I would have taken as many shoots as possible at different speeds, setting, and angles (maybe TBond did), to get the right shot.

[Marko]

I don't mind when critiques are honest, I just like them to be friendly.

Even when people think shots are crap, there are friendlier ways to say so.
This friendlier way more easily fosters the learning environment imo, and yup, it may at times be too sickly sweet for the personal tastes of some members. Every forum is different, but as Admin, if I see something that i feel is too rough, I won't let it pass.

Mods and I are on the same page about this and we will continue to encourage friendlier comments/critiques.

[theantiquetiger]

I don't mind when critiques are honest, I just like them to be friendly.

Even when people think shots are crap, there are friendlier ways to say so.
This friendlier way more easily fosters the learning environment imo, and yup, it may at times be too sickly sweet for the personal tastes of some members. Every forum is different, but as Admin, if I see something that i feel is too rough, I won't let it pass.

Mods and I are on the same page about this and we will continue to encourage friendlier comments/critiques.

I respect your feelings on this and will try to tone it down but I would like to add that a couple other posters on this thread did not read my critique as rude, just honest. It is pretty hard to be honest and friendly on a critique that is written on a forum (no verbal tones or body language, etc). Like I said before, people read forums with what they THINK is the emotion of the poster, and this causes problems (mostly for the admin).

When I wrote that first critique on this shot, there was no intent in my mind of harm or putting down the artist. I just said how I felt about the shot. I refrained from negative words (crap, junk, etc).

The only crappy shots I've seen on this forum so far are mine!!!!

(edit: I deleted what I was gonna write here because it needs to be discussed in a topic, not on TBold's post)

[Wicked Dark]

I still maintain it wasn't rude. And of course when a mod or admin deems it so everyone else agrees, too. You maintain you want critique, but I don't know how it can be honest feedback if laced with false sentiment just to preserve an illusion. I don't think there should be a free-for-all either, but I fail to see the rude.