Dr Ernoe Barsi
August 2026 - Water Drop
About the Image(s)
I made the picture with Canon Eos R6, the lens is RF 100-500 L IS USM. ISO 1600, 238 mm, f:5,6 1/500 sec. In Lightromm I made a crop, auto tone, added texture, sharpening, edge masking, darkened the background. In Photoshop corrected levels, resized the picture and in Topaz Sharpen AI corrected sharpness again.
7 comments posted
The strength of this image lies in its restraint. At first glance, it appears to be a simple portrait of a woodpecker drinking, but the perfectly suspended water droplet quickly becomes the visual anchor and the perfect title.
This is actually a quiet almost poetic moment. The composition is clean, uncluttered, with beautiful soft light. Absolutely excellent eye detail. The maker also did a great job capturing the subject's bill leading the viewer to the suspended drop that's almost perfectly placed in negative space.
The water drop is what makes this photograph - this is a 10 on a 10 point scale and would suggest opening the shadows or slightly brightening the dark upper left corner of the image and darkening/desaturating the bright green leaves behind the subject's head. Posted: 08/04/2026 14:25:48
This is actually a quiet almost poetic moment. The composition is clean, uncluttered, with beautiful soft light. Absolutely excellent eye detail. The maker also did a great job capturing the subject's bill leading the viewer to the suspended drop that's almost perfectly placed in negative space.
The water drop is what makes this photograph - this is a 10 on a 10 point scale and would suggest opening the shadows or slightly brightening the dark upper left corner of the image and darkening/desaturating the bright green leaves behind the subject's head. Posted: 08/04/2026 14:25:48
Thank you for your kind and thoughtful words Butch! The woodpecker was of great assistance to me, as it was hanging from the tree, and it bent down multiple times to drink. Therefore, it became possible to catch this water droplet. The soft light is due to the afternoon sun being reflected from the one-way glass. Thank you for your advice, I shall attempt to do the recommended changes. Posted: 08/07/2026 14:29:23
I completly agree with Butch's great critique. Maybe a closer crop and darkening the background a little would accentuate the positive attributes more. Posted: 08/10/2026 19:47:30
Thank you for your comment Roy, I will consider it. Posted: 08/14/2026 14:45:55
Ernoe, you need every luck a photographer needs to catch this drop sharp and a the right place. I had very often the opportunity to watch birds drinking, but this one is really top. Even the woodpecker is sharp; the background smooth. Well done!
Cropping a little bit starting in the right lower corner?
Posted: 08/17/2026 20:54:06
Cropping a little bit starting in the right lower corner?
Posted: 08/17/2026 20:54:06
Thank you Peter! After observing the woodpecker's drinking behavior I tried to capture the moment when it raises its head from the water. Thank you for the advice regarding the crop, I will try out a 1x1 version. Posted: 08/19/2026 12:43:05
Great picture and excellent handling of the dappled lighting. The green vegetation right behind the head is a little distracting, but I think you could probably dodge it a bit. Like other said, I love the waterdrop and the contrast on the beak between the wet and dry areas. Posted: 08/23/2026 19:49:39