Montane Woodcreeper

[Peter Dexter]

This was formerly the Spot-crowned Woodcreeper. I think if I knew more about sharpening techniques I might have gotten the shoulder feathers in focus but maybe not because of the high ISO? The dark streak to the right is unfortunate I know.

Aperture -Priority AE

1/200

F6.3

ISO 1250

White Balance Auto

Noise Reduction Neat Image


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/0803/Pitter/IMG_8986_filteredsc.jpg

[Arthur Morris]

A killer bird that few if any here (aside from you) have ever seen. With a nice insect for lunch. And I like the basics composition. The image, however, has many more important problems than the small lack of depth of field... First off the bird's head is turned away from you and the viewers. See the Head Angle thread in Educational Resources to learn what you need to look for before you press the shutter button. Second, the light, though somewhat muted, is well from the right. Try to get in situations where you shadow is pointed towards the bird (rather than 90 degrees off as here). Poor light angles give rise to problems with exposure and the way the light falls on the face..... Fill flash here would have helped.

[Peter Dexter]

Thank you, those are some very helpful tips. I will check out the ER as you suggest.

[Randy Stout]

Peter:

Many good points from Artie. The prey, good display of grip on trunk and use of tail as a prop, all good.

As you keep working the birds and looking at images on BPN, you will get a feel for what works, and what doesn't

One of the best ways to learn is to force yourself to critique other folks images. It really makes you look critically at an image, without the emotional attachment that our own images have that sometimes clouds our judgement.

So, keep shooting, read some of the great educational resources on the site, and dive into critiquing others images.

Cheers


Randy