Isn't it exciting when you see a new species and you actually get a shot of it! This is what all the effort of getting up at 5am to be on location is all about. It's about new subjects and new photo opportunities. Well, more often than not it becomes very difficult to separate our feelings about the subject and the moment when we actually took the image than what we have actually captured on film. We often proudly display the image when perhaps it belongs at best in our file of memorable moments we want to save for our own viewing.

As with the picture below of the Black and White Warbler, I have a difficult time separating my love for the subject from the shot. But let's be truthful, there is a lot lacking in this photo. So I am going to go through my checklist of what is required for a perfect image to see just how this image really stacks up.

In this case the lighting just isn't nice. It's harsh and doesn't make the subject appear friendly or nice. It leaves no detail in the whites and the contrast between the two extremes of black and white just isn't pleasing. I prefer to photograph in natural light, but it isn't always possible. In this a case fill flash would have helped this image, but it still wouldn't have created perfect lighting.

The perch really isn't attractive in this shot. This bird totally ignored the perch I selected and I swear he laughed out loud as he landed on this one. The moral of the story here is to be in total control. Don't allow perches or other problems to be a possibility. Since I was photographing in a blind I should have cleared the area before I set up to shoot. Had I done so, my pretty perch in natural light would have been the only perch available to this traveler and he would have landed there momentarily before dropping down for a drink.

Backgrounds can be the most difficult part of a shot. When shooting in a blind we have more control, but in the real world of bird photography we take it where we can get it. Hopefully good common sense or a good friend will surface and speak up if you are about to show that image of a lovely Snowy Egret with a big white boat in the background. No matter how lovely the subject, the background matters as much or MORE. In this case, I don't have any man made objects in the background but it still detracts from the subject. The contrasty, out of focus leaves really pull the eye away from the subject. Oh yes and don't forget that out of focus branch trailing off toward the background. It's distracting and leads the eye away from the bird.

Some photos simply shouldn't be taken. But I think most of us err on the side of get it then and discard it later. Shots such as the one I have shared probably shouldn't be kept. However, if you find your sentimental attachment too strong and you can't hit the delete button, then put that image away in a folder never to be viewed by others. There isn't a faster way to lose your viewing audience or downgrade your abilities than to flaunt a faulty image.

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