Let's see what people think about this ones

Rama IX at night, 5 seconds exposure time:

And a sparrow on a barb wire:

Cheers,

Ale

I really like the sparrow pic but the white blob in the background has just enough shape to be distracting...

Let's see what people think about this ones

Rama IX at night, 5 seconds exposure time:

And a sparrow on a barb wire:

Cheers,

Ale

Very nice...... both shots

i would have like to see the focus on the bird instead of the post and wire in the foreground

try manual focus or if your camera has center focusing mode, use this

the contrast with the blurred white background for the bird is excellent composition

also there is a technique you can try on slow exposure if you have zoom. When the shutter opens wait a few sec, depending on the overall time, then zoom back, try it, in color it can be a nice effect

Good strong composition on the Rama IX shot, converging structures and light streaks draw you into the picture, small aperture gives star effect to static light scources and monotone adds mood.

Sparrow shot looks like it is suffering from vignetting due to the lens hood maybe, could just be the way the background was, or have you been doing a bit of burning in?

I personally like the emphasis on the barbed wire, it contrasts the softness and fragility of the bird with the hardness of it's enviroment.

Thanks for all the comments, very much appreciated.

Sparrow shot looks like it is suffering from vignetting due to the lens hood maybe, could just be the way the background was, or have you been doing a bit of burning in?

I personally like the emphasis on the barbed wire, it contrasts the softness and fragility of the bird with the hardness of it's enviroment.

The vignetting is from my edition of the photo, I think I also cropped the original a little.

As for the hard/soft contrast, that is indeed what I was aiming for in this shot (in as much as I had the time to think about that before snapping it). Just as you said I was interested in the harsh urban environment and the soft, fragile bird living in it.