What’s wrong with this picture?
B
asically, there is nothing inherently wrong with this image. This is a social flycatcher I captured in a light rain in Costa Rica. The background is attractively out of focus and non-distracting, the bird is sharp, and the exposure is fine. The dark eye surrounded by dark feathers is discernible, and there is a small, subtle catchlight in the eye from the flash I used. One could argue that the bird should have been composed according to the Rule of Thirds, but I often position subjects in the center of the frame and like the results. The only thing that bothers me is the manmade element. I photographed the flycatcher on the grounds of a lodge I was using, and it was perched on a metal railing. Perhaps this is just my own bias, but I don’t like when I’m photographing nature, wildlife, or birds and there is a manmade element included in the frame. There are exceptions to this -- such as including a weathered split rail fence in a landscape which often looks really good -- but usually I try to eliminate the hand of man. 21
