To preen or to present unkept?

January 19, 2025  •  Leave a Comment

I know of photographers who literally comb birds' feathers in post processing. Not a feather can be out of place. They adjust the color and present the bird as perfect as a model on a fashion runway. But are we always shooting images of birds to be included in a birder's field guide? Is there a place to present the bird unkept? Believe it or not, even birds have bad hair days, or should I say bad feather days? They also have windy days and that wind also ruffles their feathers just like it does our hair. The only difference is that they may not care.

Yes, this bird, in this shape, is not going to win any birding beauty contests. But the image is interesting to me. It makes me ask questions. Did it just escape from a predator chasing it? Is it just windy? Did the bird ruffle its feather like we would take a stretch? How did the feathers come to be this way? Why is the right side looking so much worse than the left side? Perhaps the image evokes some emotion or calls for a chuckle. The image has character. It is that character that makes the image.

          Not every bird image needs to be combed and brushed to perfection. We can relate to this bird because we also have similar days. I would caution though, that birds are probably best presented either preened or badly unkept. I do not think that halfway in between works very well. So I am not dinging my preening friends. If just a feather of two are drawing attention away, by all means, comb those feathers. But when an image like this presents itself, don't pass the opportunity by because the bird is badly unkept. That is where the character comes from.


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