This shot of a Black-cowled Oriole was taken in Costa Rica. I cropped it slightly from the R and bottom to remove some distracting elements. Would you crop more? How about the slightly OOF perch on the L? Otherwise very little processing; I did bring down the yellows on the legs and wing patch. Those areas are also the reason for the negative EC at the time the image was taken. I kept blowing out those areas of yellow.
Black-cowled Oriole
Country Costa Rica
Location Laguna del Lagarto, CR
Gender Male
Age Adult
Activity At a Bird Feeder
- Created Timestamp10/29/2022 10:48:56
- CameraCanon EOS R5
- Aperture4
- CreditJim Babbitt
- Focal Length600
- Iso1000
- Shutter Speed1/250
Great photo! If I was printing this photo, then yes, I’d crop more. For sharing online I think it works as is because the viewer can zoom in if needed.
I also think it would benefit from additional cropping. The bird itself is so striking that the complexity of the log moss takes away from it. I would try a little less on the right (just short of the tail) and maybe 1/5 of the left off. Still positioning the bird on the right side of the branch but large enough to appreciate the subtlety of the bird and its coloration.
I would have cropped out about half of the distance from the left edge to the bird. I really like orioles, but I’ve only seen a couple and never one of these. Neat!