Making Music

[David Billingsley]

Carolina Wren doing what they do best - making music. Unfortunately the BKGN is very distracting but I liked the wren enough to post. Maybe the BKGN could be improved in PS by someone with better skills than I currently have. This is another shot from my recent visit to Marquez, TX. As always - CC welcome and appreciated.

40D
ISO 400
500 F4 & f/4
EXP +2/3
1/2000 sec.
GT 3530 LSV
Mongoose M3.5a

[Steve Canuel]

Hi David,
Like the singing pose, open beak, and patterns in the feathers here. The dark line in the BG does stand out but as you said, someone with more experience with PS skills could easliy fix that. The top part of the perch is pretty bright and really stands out in compariosn with the shadowed bottom portion. May also want to brighten the eye/space between eye and beak. I'd also desat that back foot a bit as the light shining through really makes it stand out to me.
Steve

[Axel Hildebrandt]

I like the raised head and singing pose. The upper part of the perch seems overexposed and I would remove the dark horizontal line in the BG. Fill flash would have helped in this light.

[George DeCamp]

Really nice pose you caught here, on the money! I thought the same thing Axel said, a little fill flash would have helped the shadow areas.

[Ramon M. Casares]

Pose, moment and composition are great to me, the BG dark lines do bother a bit and the light seems a little harsh, maybe a fill flash would've helped! Congratulations still!

[Juan Carlos Vindas]

I like this image because as you say, you capture this guy doing what they do best, I agree, as mentioned above, the fill flash would help you next time.

[Doug Brown]

Great singing pose David. Fill flash would have really improved this image IMO. BG is smooth but the dark line detracts from your subject. Here's a repost that deals with the dark line and lightens the bird. Also tones down the perch a bit.

[David Billingsley]

Doug,

Thanks for the kind words and new version, it's what I wanted but wasn't sure what method would work best. Though about clone stamp but sometimes I don't get the results hoped for. Trying to clone around the bill without loosing sharpness was my concern. What method did you use? I agreed with you and others concerning fill flash.

Have a blessed day - dave b.