Black and White Warbler peeking out of the dense foliage!

I can't wait until Warblerfest up in northern Ohio next Spring where I hear the warblers are so tired that they actually sit still for awhile! I must have shot 200 frames trying to catch this extremely active little guy who kept jumping from an area that was in full sunshine to an area of deep shadow and back again over a one hour period! Had a blast though watching and listening to him. I swear he was laughing at me! This was the best shot with a nice BG and I like the red twig he landed on. I found this great area along an old RR track near Mullett Lake, MI where I saw Yellow Warblers, Redstarts, Cedar Waxwings, Yellow Rumped Warblers, Eastern Kingbirds, Eastern Phoebes and Flickers, all in an area about 50 feet in length!

Canon 7D Mark II, Tamron 150-600, 600 mm, HH, AF, ISO 800, f /6.3, 1/2000, early morning, filtered sunlight, clear skies

LR reduced highlights and whites, 30% crop, in PS CC 2015 softened BG, removed OOF branch beside the bird, rebuilt some of the tail which was slightly hidden by an OOF foreground branch.

Warren, beside the OOF branches that can't really be helped, I would add a bit more contrast to make the image pop.
I hope this helps.

-Tim

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Originally Posted by Tim Foltz

Warren, beside the OOF branches that can't really be helped, I would add a bit more contrast to make the image pop.
I hope this helps.

-Tim

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Thanks Tim, here is a RP, what do you think?

Attachment 163811

Warren, yours seems to have a slight color cast to it, this is my quick redo.

Thanks -Tim

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Tim Foltz

Warren, yours seems to have a slight color cast to it, this is my quick redo.

Thanks -Tim

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Thanks Tim, can you outline your steps that you used?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Warren Spreng

Thanks Tim, can you outline your steps that you used?

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Hi Warren, If I had the raw file I would use PS and use the hue slider, but since this is already a jpeg I would use the selective color sliders and reduce the colors that have the cast to them.

-Tim

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Tim Foltz

Hi Warren, If I had the raw file I would use PS and use the hue slider, but since this is already a jpeg I would use the selective color sliders and reduce the colors that have the cast to them.

-Tim

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OK, thanks!

Warren, very nice and very sharp. I do like the environment shot here where it really shows where the bird lives. I hope to see many more. I didn't notice the color cast until I saw Tim's repost.

Warren, nice shot and a pat-on-the-back for your dedication to capturing this photo. I confess to trying to get some shots of some of the simpler/common small birds in my area, and have exactly zero shots -- not fast enough!!!

Tell me about your technique for getting the shots -- are you cameo'd or use a blind? Do you have to stay still for long times? This kind of shooting is very different from the "run and shoot" process I use from my car .....

AP

Thanks Adhika and Andrew! Andrew, once I find a spot where I have seen the bird before, I will re-visit and basically stand still. The longer I stand, the braver the birds become. This particular shot I was standing pretty much in the same spot for over an hour as this little guy would flit from one side of the path to the other. He finally started exploring the bushes about 15 feet from me and would pop in and out. I caught this shot when he actually stayed in the same spot for about 20 seconds! Of course all this time I'm seeing other warblers pop in and out but I was focusing on this particular one rather than trying to run from one spot to another!

It seems like with the small bird, you really need to sit still and focus on one rather than trying to get the many different kinds. I have zero patience for that right now but I am trying to be more patient honestly. I am thinking of setting up something on my local park and just see what comes up. Do you need to wear any camo, Warren?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Adhika Lie

It seems like with the small bird, you really need to sit still and focus on one rather than trying to get the many different kinds. I have zero patience for that right now but I am trying to be more patient honestly. I am thinking of setting up something on my local park and just see what comes up. Do you need to wear any camo, Warren?

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No camo. I think it was Country magazine actually advertised a Bill Bird in Hand which was a life size wood or cardboard mannequin that you would put out with a particular pair of pants and shirt and he held his hand out that you put feed in. Once the birds started eating out of his hand you could put on the pants and shirt and stand there to get birds to now eat out of your hand. Camo and/or a blind definitely work better when you want to be VERY close to the birds, but I have found that simply standing still for fairly long periods of time will acclimate them to your presence to come in range of the 600mm that I use. It amazes me how fast time flies when I am trying to capture that one species and I get to watch their antics while waiting for them to get into a clearing to get a shot. It also has built up my upper body holding that 4 lb lens up for extended periods of time!

Hey Warren. Nice little bird and job well done for getting him. Like Adhika said, I didn't notice the cast on him at all until Tim's repost.

I am fortunate to own a few acres and started a huge revegetation project some seven years ago. It has worked incredibly well for enticing birds, of all descriptions to visit, and nest and come back the following year. The smaller birds seem to be the most timid, but I'm down the paddock all the time and most are getting use to me pottering around. If I sit still, very still they start to play in the undergrowth just in front of me. I am thinking of a hide, because every time I raise the camera or move slightly they're gone again. They are a work in progress.

Glennie, if you do build a hide, can I get an invite?

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Originally Posted by Adhika Lie

Glennie, if you do build a hide, can I get an invite?

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Sounds like a good reason to visit Australia! I actually got one of these http://t.dickssportinggoods.com/prod...42288046#close that I use in my yard to shoot hummingbirds