"Seen any trees lately?" Photo

Photographer’s Note

I wasn't sure about posting this shot, but I thought it fitted the Scavenger Hunt category - Nature in an urban environment.

May be its the season, or may be I'm just paying more attention, but I am seeing more birds lately in HK.

Tech: Cropped, resized and sharpened. Contrast +12. Added border to match the colour of the birds.

SylFondacci, jmdaoudal, papagolf21, Dionysos, Kenny10pin, arnabchat, kaud, jhm, carper, nwoehnl, kajenn, PLD_images, kLe, Dinyar, mortijo has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

SylFondacci (4085) 2004-12-22 4:58

Hello Andrew !
Nice shot of Hong Kong.
No sky, no exit from this environment, only the birds seem to be free !
Excellent composition.
Congrats
Sylvie

papagolf21 (55872) 2004-12-22 5:01

Bonjour Andrew,
Effet pictural garanti ! La présence de ces deux oiseaux donne vie à la composition sur cet arrière-plan qui fait penser à une sorte de papier peint.
Très bien vu et très bien réalisé.
Très original.
Bravo !!

Dionysos (1232) 2004-12-22 5:01

I like it very much. Yes, humorous, but also sad.
I think it would be better to rotate it 1-2 degree to left or more rotation to give a bird's point of view effect.

I really like it. Thanks.

jmdaoudal (82) 2004-12-22 5:01

Hi Andrew,
Humour ? Art, and shure this is nature in an Urban environnement like humans, flowers, and mushrooms.:)))
Like the composition, artistic and graphic. Superb lines and tones.
Well done
Jean Michel

Kenny10pin (19301) 2004-12-22 5:05

Very nice title, great work here, I like the birds trying to find trees, or are they?

well done

kaud (1838) 2004-12-22 5:11

Good Shot and very worth a title.

clodreno (0) 2004-12-22 5:11

this is a smart shot Andrew.. I like that. so funny to see those brids in the middle of the urban jungle... By the way, are they cows??

Have a nice holiday season..Happy new year 2005

Sneza (706) 2004-12-22 5:15

In this world we are as these birds, aren't we? It's so sad for all of us and birds too. Nice picture.

arnabchat (6982) 2004-12-22 5:15

super composition. good graphism here, with vertical strands of highrisers in the backdrop and the birds(kites) flying in the fg.
Thanks for sharing
Arnab

PS: see if you like my WS.

[workshop] [compare] +

jhm (81637) 2004-12-22 6:22

Hi Andrew, the two birds against the background of the great buildings is very nice, which birds are this Andew? The vertical and horizontal lines in the background give a great composition Andrew.
Well seen!

hztrekearth (0) 2004-12-22 7:18

I like your homor! Point well made.

carper (63968) 2004-12-22 10:59

very nice one Andrew, very good capture you made here, I like your composing shot with all those lines of windows, very good job. I wish you and your family a very good days

nwoehnl (118) 2004-12-22 13:07

For sure a bird shot with a twist, Andrew. The slightly haze-covered pattern of the highrises in the back makes a background to the birds in flight that is contrasting in many aspects. I was about to suggest a crop to make it a little more symmetrical but I noticed you already got a WS to exactly that respect. Well done, merry Christmas to you.

cranerider (175) 2004-12-22 14:10 [Comment]

Show Comment

scalerman (25607) 2004-12-22 14:12

Orme, this photography 101: repeating theme and contrast. It's a really nice capture. Nature vs. Man in a sense.

jrj (34777) 2004-12-22 14:52

Well made shot Andrew. What a contrast with this birds fronting the HK high buildings. Yes, very good.

Jeppe (18623) 2004-12-22 18:11

Surely a great shot which deserves a post - the urban background quite impressive and the composition of birds works nicely and gives good meaning the title - a very fine hunt - congratulation Andrew.

maphoto (8076) 2004-12-22 21:36

Andrew, this is very nice and original, excellent background to shoot these birds, it would have been interesting to see a sharp result, but there's great details that makes this picture so attractive, the lines, the repetitive windows, very good work.
Merry Christmas !

Steft (5962) 2004-12-23 10:46

Wow nice picture... the high and impressive buidling are quite unsharp and pale, but that gives a nice effect to the east-asia-urbun-atmosphere. The to black bird gives an extra touch to the whole... (black... a bad sign?). Nice dark-light, sharp-vague, and nature-humun contrasts.

kajenn (2323) 2004-12-23 20:32

Spectacular, Andrew, showing the urban jungle in a very dramatic way. You've really got an eye for birds these days. Brilliant composition with the two birds in a diagonal in front of the hazed high-rise buildings, forming a uniform yet varied backdrop. It almost looks surreal. Nice addition to the Hunt. Very well done!
Merry Christmas to you and your family!

avigur_11 (21271) 2004-12-23 22:56

A very original composition, Andrew. I really can't imagine a good landing place for this birds in the center of HK. Is the noise original or added? I like it this way, better than a smooth background. Very good one.

pamastro (7213) 2004-12-24 1:13

Nice capture of the birds in their artificial forest. The two of them located as they are on this diagonal was perfect. And the backdrop of the skyscrapers behind some haze gives a nice depth. It makes me think of how well birds have adapted to high rises in so many cities. Just recently a hawk was in the news because he was "evicted" from his nest on an apartment building. Luckily they him back. And this offers a perfect mix of nature and man-made environment. Well seen.

PLD_images (7141) 2004-12-24 20:58

This photo is special Andrew. I am always amazed by the size of the appartement buildings in Hong Kong. It has to be the place with the most people by square inch in the world.... Great composition with the birds that give "life" to this photo.

kLe (2027) 2004-12-25 5:17

Good shot, Andrew. You are right. It fits perfectly to this category of the Scav Hunt. Even more, could also fit to "vertical lines" and if we think it twice to "sadness" as well. This picture (and the title you selected) makes me think how humans are disturbing nature.

RGatward (19737) 2005-01-03 9:02

Fanatastic simple compo, that must have been really tricky to get right, and great hunt entry. Happy New Year.

Dinyar (704) 2005-01-13 8:03

Hi Andrew!! Happy New Year 2005! to you.
This is a beautiful shot. Very well taken.

The framing is excellent. I love the complete background of buildings. Funny title too :-))

bantonbuju (48334) 2005-01-13 13:11

this is an example of those moments in our life that we are awaiting for years and once they come and we do not miss the opportunity - we want to shout "yeah, yeah, yeah" - what a shot!

tsumeb (468) 2005-01-15 11:57

Wonderful framing, focus and the perfect shutter speed to make this a success. You've captured a fine moment. I'm not sure if I would want to see a less washed out background. I'm going to try a workshop and mess with it although it needs no work!

[workshop] [compare]

mortijo (11937) 2005-01-27 7:16

Fine capture. The birds bring some movement and life in this 'stone' environment.

faubry (32191) 2005-01-29 13:11

very nice shot, how are you made for take this shot? from the window?
very good capture, the birds are lost in the middle urban!
superb

rl245267 (784) 2007-03-29 20:10

Hi Andrew,

I normally do not like shots of buildings such as the ones in the background of this shot, but in this case I think it was a great idea. Shooting the birds with a view of these buildings in the background makes for a very eye catching shot. Excellent POV and composition.

Nice work,
Rob

crisnique (857) 2007-07-19 8:52

Hi Andrew,
This is one of your shots I like the most.
The birds against the geometric background of the buildings is giving a powerful graphic effect.
Well done and tfs.
Greetings from Italy.
Cristian

marietom (31766) 2007-12-10 0:43

Hi Andrew,

superbe idée !
Un graphisme génial, que les deux oiseaux viennent contrarier. Bien vu !
Marie

banyanman (7716) 2009-01-22 4:41

You may have had second thoughts about posting this shot, Andrew, but it's certainly racked up a lot of points. It's a simple composition but one with a message - or maybe two messages - one about the cramped conditions of urban living in HK (at least for most) and the other about the lack of trees in urban environments, especially in China. Cheers . . . David