Five 7D/400 DO Hooptie Deux Images

All of these 7D images were created on an Alafia Banks trip last Sunday with the handheld 7D/400 DO combination. All were created at ISO 400. Each needed noise reduction on the BKGR and four of the five needed NR on the shaded areas of the bird. Do keep in mind that when exposing for whites in the sun both the sunlit middle tones and the shaded light tones will, by necessity, be well underexposed (this introducing noise).

Which is your favorite and why?

For the Pane 1 image "Dropping Down": 1/1600 at f/7.1. Created at 9:41 am.

For the Pane 2 image "Midair Turn": 1/1600 at f/8. Created at 10:02 am.

For the Pane 3 image "Wing-tips Up": 1/200 sec. at f/8. Image created at 9:44 am.

For the Pane 4 image "Tight Square Flight": 1/1600 at f/9 at 9:42 am.

I ran NR on the BKGR and followed that with about a 40 pixel Gaussian Blur on the BKGR. That of course spilled over onto the bird so using a Layer Mask (I learned to use them from APTATS II) I used great care to erase the effect from the bird. I used a very similar same technique on the Swallow-tailed Gull image here: http://www.birdsasart.com/bn294.htm

For the Pane 5 image "Tight Flight": 1/1600 at f/9 at 9:42 am. It is fairly obvious that for the Pane 4 and Pane 5 images that I failed to follow my own universal advice for better flight photography: pan faster!

I leave for two weeks on Midway Island on Sunday and am tremendously excited about the trip. I will see you all when I get back.

I like Midair Turn (Pane 2) because it's the most interesting pose and best shows off anticipated action. This off kilter pose against that blue sky catches my eye and holds my attention longer that the other poses

I like the topside bank with the green bg. I'm a sucker for dorsal view and non sky bgs. :D

First #2, great action and pose, but the overall composition actually works very well for me.
#4 is excellent of course and it would be #1 if all of the BG was green.

Cheers,

For me Pane 3 is the most unique, but I find Pane 4 to be the most stunning spoonie with the pose and light being perfect...although maybe a tad more room if you have it. What was your ISO setting on these?

Each image has its own characteristics.
#2 Good banking angle, and I like the contrast
#3 Unique showing of the spoon from the headon approach
#4 good diagonal banking angle and separated from the BG nicely.

Hi Artie

Love all four shots. Best thing I love about these is the composition. Image is so well balanced, your eye just is on the bird all the time with no distraction. Very well exposed, with beautiful details.
My favourite is image 3, because it is unique and you can see both eyes, with nice details in the backlit bird. Even though the underside of the bird is in shadows, you have managed so much detail in there, especially the wings and the eyes.

Manjesh

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Originally Posted by Marina Scarr

For me Pane 3 is the most unique, but I find Pane 4 to be the most stunning spoonie with the pose and light being perfect...although maybe a tad more room if you have it. What was your ISO setting on these?

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Thanks all so far for playing. And thanks Marina: I thought that I had written "All at ISO 400" in the first pane but obviously did not. I shall add it for those who do not read all the comments.

Very hard to decide which one I like the most, I can say that #2 is my least favorite one, I think I would like a little more room under, otherwise, the details of the wings a superb.

# 4 and 5 are quite stunning, maybe a little tight but the details are just amazing and the BG of #4 is beautiful and complement the subject very well.

I also like #3 for it's unusual view, very nice job on getting the details of the under wings.

I like #1 for the eye contact and I also like the way we see the bill. The lines are beautiful and the contrasts are spot on.

I think I will go with #4 for the complementary BG.

I myself would be in heaven if I had a shot half as good as these...

Amazing job Arthur, as usual!

pane 4 for me, but there all stunning.
well done.

Pane 1 for the pose, diagonal strong comp and colors. I liked pane 3 a lot too. quite different.

For me:
#1 - wing detail and eye contact are positives,
- shadowed area and colors not a dominant feature are negatives.
#2 - negatives are that the head gets lost and the colors are not a dominant feature,
- positives are the feather detail, wing position, and that the clouds and bird movement are both diagonal.
#3 - wing spread and detail are positives,
- face angle, shadows, and ambiguous bill are negatives.
#4 - positives are that the bird 'pops', the colors are great, wing detail, tail feather spread, eye contact and neck angle.
#5 - same as #4 in positives but notice the shadowed area.

My positives and negatives are not necessarily the same as what others look for, but #4 stands out for me. #5 I like as well. When looking at a photograph of a bird like this I would look for rich colors in the image first.

Deb

i like #4 because of wing position and top view. might also sharpen the primaries a bit more. #1 works for me as well.

I prefer the lighting on number 4 and the trees seem to anchor the shot a little more.

#4. Blurred background is pleasing and gives the image a 3-D effect.

Alan

I'm also a #4 fan, for the added color bg, the beautiful full wingspread, and the lack of shadows. All of them are keepers in their own unique way.

I like number 4 also It pleases me

#4 is my favorite because of eye contact, excellent detail in every feather on the wingspread, the diagonal of the wings, the two tones background which gives the bird a sense of place.

My fav is #2 as the image captures a real action shot but #4 grabs your attention when these images are shown as a series.

image # 4 , excellent image on all counts , expo , compo , sharpness and ofcourse awesome PP
TFS

#4, you see more detail in the bird overall and it shows off the colors so well, more dramatic composition because you feel close to the bird when you view it.

One more vote for #4. I love the top view and the BG that shows both sky and trees. The wing color and detail are awesome and the eye contact is super! The workflow you described for this image is pretty much what I end up doing for a lot of shots from my 50D. Looks like this won't change when I finally get my hands on the 7D. Do you feel that the 7D is a big improvement, and if so, could you elucidate?

Thanks Artie.

All are great, but no 2 is my fav, due the most action flight.

I like #2 and #5. #2 for the dramatic and dynamic action. #5 for the closeup detail, eye contact and "intimacy". You really get to see the bird. Fine detail in both in the highlights as well. Great job on all in keeping the focus with a 400mm lens, especially on the closer shots.

Number 4 is my absolute favorite. I like the diagonal line and the wonderful colors on top of the bird's wings. The bird also looks much more evenly lit than in the other photos.

#4 because of the framing, background, colors on the wings, and the wings angle to the viewer. I do think the eye could use a bit more sharpening.

Thanks again to all for playing. Here is the tally:

1st Place: Pane #4" 18 votes
A distant 2nd Place: Pane #2: 6 votes
Third Place: Pane #3: 5 votes
Fourth (or last) place tie: Panes #1 and #5.

My favorite: Pane #3. Way to go Manjesh!

My least favorite is probably the winner. Why? Because I saw the ugly mangroves in the original capture and could not get them out of my mind!

I love the bright carmine markings on the leading edge of the wings on Pane #1, my second fave.

Thanks again to all for sharing your thoughts and you honest opinions.

Late-comers should feel free to add their thoughts and comments.

ps: I would have liked #4 a lot better in some sweet early morning light.

Just to be different Pane # 5 does it for me.

Stunning eye, (not much to report on the eye front on the previous 4)

Sharp, lovely blend of shades and colours and great presence.

Thanks Artie your book and disc arrived today and I am retiring with a fine Malt to peruse them, stunning book.

Another 4 kilos gone in the last two weeks, 9 to go.

Artie,

Pane 4 is killer. And I like it for the reasons you don't. To me, the mangroves shows where you will find them and also tells the viewer it's Florida! Of course I'm a Floridian and know its where you will find them. Yes if it were some sweet morning or afternoon light, it would be over the top. But it wasn't. You're still top dog however. I love the top side view on those birds. I hope to get some shots of them in mid March with James on the Hooptie. Maybe I will see you too.

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Originally Posted by Christopher C.M. Cooke

Just to be different Pane # 5 does it for me.

Stunning eye, (not much to report on the eye front on the previous 4)

Sharp, lovely blend of shades and colours and great presence.

Thanks Artie your book and disc arrived today and I am retiring with a fine Malt to peruse them, stunning book.

Another 4 kilos gone in the last two weeks, 9 to go.

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Enjoy the books and the beer. My long flights to Honolulu and a poor night's sleep raised my BG to just over 100 this morning but still I am doing great. Weight is pretty steady at 172. :) And size 35 pants are a bit loose on me. Amazing for a guy who wore size 42s for too many years...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Grady Weed

Artie, Pane 4 is killer. And I like it for the reasons you don't. To me, the mangroves shows where you will find them and also tells the viewer it's Florida! Of course I'm a Floridian and know its where you will find them. Yes if it were some sweet morning or afternoon light, it would be over the top. But it wasn't. You're still top dog however. I love the top side view on those birds. I hope to get some shots of them in mid March with James on the Hooptie. Maybe I will see you too.

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Thanks Grady. Different strokes... You may very well see me on the Hooptie Deux at the end of the month. :)

Quote:

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Enjoy the books and the beer

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That would be an Islay Malt Whiskey Artie!:)

I have not touched beer since I got the good news about being Diabetic, the odd red wine the odd Scotch and Malt is all I allow myself but I simply enjoy the pleasure more now that I am moderate in my bad habits.

Thanks again for the book, it is a work of Art, Pun intended.:)

All shots are great. I like number 4 the best. Killer wing pose, great light and colors and beautiful BG.

Which AF sensors did you use? The central one only or more?

Markus

Those are incredible. #4 for the colors, sharpness and expression along with the stunning angle. I have rented a 400DO twice for testing and have not been able to get anything remotely as sharp as these under any conditions (two different cameras). You must have a magic lens!!

Regards,

Mike

Mike, It is not the lens and it is not the camera. Now, here is the bad news: I am not a very good flight photographer! :)

#4 does it for me. Excellent angle and you did a great job on the background.
Regards
Del

They are all great. But Pane 4 shows the pink plumage off best and is a cracking shot with an excellent background which nicely reduces the contrast between subject and background. Easily my favourite.

re 400 DO: I am just back from a 3 day visit to Giant's Castle and used the 400 DO with 1.4x on a mongoose. Plenty of unsharp photos. But then those photos that are really sharp tell me where to put the blame : The photographer (its a fair cop).

Pane 4.. not sure why...maybe its because the area of the image that is bird is larger.. is this called 'less negative space'?

DON