Roseate Spoonbill

[Joseph Przybyla]

Today seemed a good morning to go back into the files to find an image to work on ( 45 degrees here, cold when acclimated to 90 degrees). As my knowledge and skills improve I am constantly doing images again hopefully improving them. I captured this spoonbill with all the wrong settings on the camera. I had been shooting a perched bird when I saw this spoonbill landing. I only had time to turn, find it, focus and click off a burst of images. Comments and critique welcomed and appreciated. Thank you for viewing.

Nikon D7000
Nikon 70-300mm F/4.5-5.6 VR AF-S shot at 300mm (450mm FFE)
1/500 F/8 Matrix Metering 0 EV ISO 250
Post processed in Lightroom 5 and Photoshop Elements 10
Cropped for composition

[Lyle Gruby]

I really like it Joe. I like the high key, although I think you could go a little brighter on the BG. I loved blurred wings on BIF when the body is sharp as one can luck into here and there.

[Randy Stout]

Joe:

A good example of why one should just push the button, even if the settings can't be optimized in time, because some times it works out just right.

Strong sense of action, excellent pose(well, right wing could be open a bit more,but still works well)

Sharp enough

Good job.

Cheers

Randy

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Joseph, great high key here, and you achieved perfect DOF and sharpness where it counts. The colours on the spoonbill really pop nicely against the high key BG. I wouldnt worry about this image - glad you didnt bin it. :w3

[keith mitchell]

Bin it! Joseph you must be joking this is great, pinks and whites and sharpness look lovely ,ps if you decide to bin it put it in mine.

Keith.

[arash_hazeghi]

Very nice landing, I also like the wing blur although I would prefer a tad sharper head. Good exposure for this high key frame

Well done

[Satish Ranadive]

Absolutely superb high key and very artistic image.

Regards,
Satish.

[Daniel Cadieux]

High impact, and the pinks are just beaming!! Excellent pose, outstretched feet, and soon-to-be perch.

[Arthur Morris]

Agree on the shoot now, ask questions later approach. I need to get to that ranch....

I used a 66% layer of Average Blur Color Balance to come up with what looks to me as a more neutral repost. Learn about this technique and tons more in Digital Basics (https://store.birdsasart.com/shop/item.aspx?itemid=252).

I love the landing pose and the sharpness.

[Joseph Przybyla]

Thanks everyone for viewing and commenting, very much appreciated.

Artie, I had your Digital Basics on the computer so I went to it and read about the technique you used. I did an edit using that technique with the 66% you used. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction. There is another technique that I read somewhere that I believe also comes from Robert O'Toole for removing color casts. If I remember it correctly... a duplicate layer is made. Then from the Filter Menu choose Blur, then Average. Then on the keyboard Ctrl I is selected which inverses the color from Blur/Average. In the layer Blending Mode Normal is changed to Color with the Opacity used to choose how much to blend, normally between 10% to 20%. Trying what you suggested and the method I described and comparing the images they look very alike. The problem I struggle with is seeing when use either method. I guess experience is the best teacher. Thanks again.

[Arthur Morris]

Both are either the the same or quite similar. Detailed directions are in DB. Try a search for Average Blur Color Balances and it should bring you right there.... There is nothing about inversing as far as I can remember....

[Arthur Morris]

And yes, experimenting and experience pays off when correcting color casts and color balance. Be sure to start with the color temperature during RAW conversions. No matter the program-I prefer DPP 4 by a mile, the White Balance eye dropper can work wonders with some images and screw up others. But you can always go back :)

[Joseph Przybyla]

Both are either the the same or quite similar. Detailed directions are in DB. Try a search for Average Blur Color Balances and it should bring you right there.... There is nothing about inversing as far as I can remember....

Thanks Artie, I went to my copy of your Digital Basics, found the technique and followed the instructions on a copy of my image. I have both your Digital Basics and your cd disc The Art of Bird Photography II. I use both especially for getting the exposure correct. Tis a long road I began a couple years ago, hopefully I will master it before I am pushing up daisies.

[Arthur Morris]

Thanks a stack Joe. i doubt that I remember everything in ABP II (https://store.birdsasart.com/shop/item.aspx?itemid=19)(the CD book...)