Printable View
Shot near my house, I was following an Egret in flight when this Spoonbill showed up in my viewfinder on final approach.
Canon 5D Mark III
Canon 600mm IS II + Canon 1.4x III TC
Aperture Priority, ISO 800, f5.6, 1/5000 sec
On tripod
Any and all comments appreciated.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7317/8...6493bf8a_o.jpg
Looks like one of those big B-52's coming in. Nice position in the frame, nice subtle BG.
Nice gliding-in pose. For me the comp could use a bit of a trim at bottom for a more pano look. I love the iridescence of the feathers...
Nice pose and exposure but the face and bill are lost and a bit dreary overall.... Some sharpening and lightening there might help.
Thanks all tor the input. I'll give it another go with your thoughts in mind - all very much appreciated.
I've given it another try - not sure if I took enough off in making it more pano-like. I used Nik Color Efex Detail Extractor to try to improve the face and bill. Comments will be appreciated!
Barry
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8398/8...3941fa8b_o.jpg
Way well done on the face. It looks sharper with some pop. In the original it looked like mush to me.
Thanks Artie. I am still trying to figure out the optimal settings with Detail Extractor. I've learned a little goes a long way, 15% is the max for me at this point. This repost used 12% brushed carefully on the face and bill.
Barry
YAW. And yes, most folks use settings that are much too high. I am usually in the 10-20% range, rarely higher. There is lots more info on how I use NIK Color Efex Pro on the blog (for free) and in Digital Basics ($25). See here for a current example.
Digital Basicsan instructional PDF that is sent via e-mail. It includes my complete digital workflow, dozens of great Photoshop tips including Digital Eye Doctor techniques, several different ways to expand canvas, all of my time-saving Keyboard Shortcuts, and Quick Masking, Layer Masking, and NIK Color Efex Pro basics.
