Sometimes I can’t select just one GreatBirdPic Photograph of the Week. I kept flipping back and forth between these two images below, trying to decide which one was better, until I decided I couldn’t decide.
At first glance the two pictures appear to be quite different. The Black-fronted Tern, taken by Rebecca Bowater, is a BIF shot and the Verdin, by Paul Demkovich, is perched. However, note that in both pictures the photographer has cropped the image to emphasize an important aspect of the bird. It would have been easy for Rebecca to give her image a normal 3:2 frame, but instead she elongates the frame to give prominence to the wing extended to the right. Every feather is in place and there is lots of room around the bird, highlighting its place in mid-air. Similarly, Paul could have cropped his image down to just show the Verdin on the thorny stalk, but instead he provides a wider crop to include some flowers in the lower left of the frame. Why? Because some of the flowers have the same yellow as on the head of the bird and other flowers have the same red as on the shoulder-patch of the bird. The position of the bird and the flowers balance each other on the left and right.
So enjoy today’s two Bird Photographs of the Week, and let me know which one you like better (if you can decide).
If you enjoy seeing beautiful pictures of birds from around the world and reading about them Click Here to sign up for our mailing list. Members can post their own Great Bird Pics and learn more about bird photography techniques.