Sandhill Cranes and Fog

I ended up with several Sandhill Crane shots I took first thing in the morning (either right before or right at sunrise). I ended up with 4 that I personally liked. I am hoping to get some opinions on them. I might also do soe B&W conversions, but for now, kept them all in color with only minor processing adjustments (mostly addng some contrast, etc.) I did post one of these before, but included it again so it can be compared to the other 3.

Please let me know if you like any of them and if you do which ones work or don't work.

Thanks!

#2

#3

#4

#1: The distant birds in flight are so integral to the image that their being so out of focus doesn't work for me.
#2: I remember this from before. Definitely the best of the lot as they are.
#3: For some reason the FG bugs me in this one, but it didn't in #2. Don't know why. But there's a good photo there, with some strategic cropping. A pano crop getting rid of all the FG would be really strong, imo.
#4: Same FG issue here, but in addition, the elements are pretty static. Still, a pano crop would help.

#1: I don't mind the distant birds out of focus, but all the other ones are also. Otherwise, it would be a great shot. I like all the extended wing positions.

#3 & #4: You might consider boosting the red channel color saturation to enhance that morning light.

#2: Appears to be the sharpest of the batch. I like the contrast between the dark foreground birds and the foggy, grey background birds. Nice depth.

These are totally cool, Kurt! I dont mind the focus too much, although sharper may have helped. I think i like #3 the best but i like em all. I do think a crop from top and bottom to tighten these a bit would help--especially for #1.

#1 being OOF ruins it for me, but the others have so many compelling elements that I think I'd explore some creative cropping to enhance them. As is, I would say #3 is the best, but as Todd mentioned, the foreground kinda bugs me.

I also liked #2 the best - specially the one at the upper right corner on flight looks very nice.

I like #3! The colors and shades are great.

I like the peaceful mood created in #4. Nice.

I think Todd's comments are pretty comprehensive, but I would add for myself that I would be thrilled to have all of these in my collection. You did a great job with exposures.