Anna's Hummingbird (male)

[Mark Schmitt]

Bird photographed in March of 2008. Positioned the bird between me and a large green bush so as to get the green BG.

Self critique: would liked to have had bit more head turn but then there would not be the irridesence in the gorget (was not using flash at the time): over-all tones are good and the DOF is acceptable, though a little more would have brought in the tail more: may have left a little too much canvas on the left, but as the bird was facing in that direction it was cropped as is.

PP: Layer created to reduse noise in BG; dodge burn layer created for burning and adjusting values in perch; layer created to lift dark values and bring details in gorget; layer created and sharpend in colour lab mode for gama and contrast values only. All blended to taste.

EXIF
Camera: Canon 20D
Lense Canon EF 500 IS L + 1.4 T/C (effective focal length 700mm)
Mode: Apeture priority
Metering: evaluative
ISO: 200
White Bal.: custom 5500K (should have been 6000K as it was over-cast but I wanted a warmer cast to the gorget)
Exposure: 1/125 @ f 8.0 + .33 exposure comp.

Feel free;)

[Axel Hildebrandt]

I like the soft light, details and iridescence, BG looks good, too. The crop is a bit square for my taste. I might crop a bit off the left and add a bit top and bottom.

[Glenda Simmons]

Great job showing off his beautiful gorget. The background compliments the bird and he certainly appears to have an eye on you.

[Juan Aragonés]

Mark I remember this image from another forum and then I like it a lot and still loving it (one of my favourite hummingbird´s images). Your selfcritic couldn´t be better but I do not agree about the head turn. I like it just in the way it is because I think that iredescences are more important here. I have to agree with Axel about the square format. i think that this image could work very fine in a landscape format with more room at the left. :-)

[Tony Whitehead]

Less cropped version of this image was submitted previously;
http://www.birdphotographers.net/forums/showthread.php?t=23175
I think I prefer the previous one as this seems to be suffering loss of detail due to cropping. Colours and BG remain stunning.

[Arthur Morris]

Hi Mark,

re:

Positioned the bird between me and a large green bush so as to get the green BG.

Good job of that.

Self critique: would liked to have had bit more head turn but then there would not be the irridesence in the gorget (was not using flash at the time).

The head angle is perfect--any change and you lose the iridesence (I think that there is only on "r". Not sure about the rest.of the letters....

Over-all tones are good and the DOF is acceptable, though a little more would have brought in the tail more.

I am fine with your focusing on the eye and letting the rest fly.

May have left a little too much canvas on the left, but as the bird was facing in that direction it was cropped as is.

The crop is perfect.

PP: Layer created to reduse noise in BG; dodge burn layer created for burning and adjusting values in perch; layer created to lift dark values and bring details in gorget; layer created and sharpend in colour lab mode for gama and contrast values only. All blended to taste.

Well done but I felt that the gorget needed more pop. Hope that I did not over-do it.