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Jack Backs
12-22-2021, 09:07 AM
Taken last Sunday about 15 minutes before sunset. One piece of grass was touching the bird so I shortened it. The image before this one was a pretty nice wings down.
I preferred this one because of more of the sky was showing. I did a face transplant from that image as the face on this image was a little soft. Holding my breath that I
get a Z9 on the first go around.
D500, 500mmF4VRII, TC-14EIII
f6.3, 1/2000s, iso1000
Arthur Morris
12-22-2021, 11:56 AM
Whoa! In your face. Beautiful light and bird. I would definitely eliminate the one grass right below the birds head. Why? It is the tallest and the most prominent. Good job on the face transplant!

Where?

with love, artie
Jack Backs
12-22-2021, 12:23 PM
Artie,
I cloned the entire heart shaped face through the fine feathers outlining the perimeter.
Jack Backs
12-22-2021, 12:37 PM
Grass removed.
Daniel Cadieux
12-23-2021, 06:37 AM
It looks a lot better with that grass strand removed. Such sweet light you got here, and I love the head turn.
dankearl
12-23-2021, 10:09 AM
Did you say you put a new face on the bird??? Nice Photoshop but that is not photography...
Jack Backs
12-23-2021, 01:52 PM
Hmmmmm.....Removing grass and branches isn't photography, replacing an eye with a nictitating membrane isn't photography, applying Gaussian filters to backgrounds isn't photography. I thought this was more of a "Birds as Art" forum than a photo contest.
I personally don't view using this birds face from an image one tenth of a second earlier for sharpness sake as that egregious and I seriously doubt anyone would have noticed if I hadn't said anything. I wouldn't have any problem printing this out and calling it a "photograph".
Brian Sump
12-24-2021, 03:56 PM
Jack, a very attractive frame sir.

The lighting (and angle), pose and background colors/transition are just nailed. The composition is very pleasing.

I am good with the grasses personally, however I think a slight (and selective) burning could help make a couple of them slightly less prominent.

There is still a slight bit of motion blur, esp on the face, but man you did a nice job with the transplant. FWIW, regardless of what editing you do, my opinion is if you share it then there's merit..... plus that rhymed ;-)

TFS!