Nikon D300 w/Nikkor 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 vr lens @ 400mm, hand held
ISO 400, f/7.1, 1/5000 sec.; MM -1
PP:usual adjustments in CS6; Color Efex Tonal contrast
The background was mostly black, and I removed any colored regions by cloning to make this low key.
During a visit to the Galapagos Islands, I spent some time making closeup images of interesting birds. Inspired by Bob Miller's recent post of a closeup of an owl eye in this forum, I thought I'd offer this closeup image of the face of a Nazca Booby. Note the unwelcome visitor on the neck of the bird!
I like what you're doing here. Nice detail around the eye. Catching the visitor also adds interest. I think you could double the space between bill tip and left edge of the frame so it doesn't feel so tight--would be easy to seamlessly add canvas with that background if its not available in the original capture. The background is a little too dark for me: dramatic but it merges with your subject near the bottom base of the bill. I'd wager that Artie would promote some cleanup work on the bill, but I'm okay without it. Wouldn't object to the tip being sharp, tho... But you did get excellent sharpness around the eye, so its a winner.
Hi Norm, nice sharpness on the eye and good detail in the whites. I'm noticing some noisy light areas in the BG right above the bird's head. A nice close up portrait overall. -- Allen
Hi Norm....Very impressive work here. I love all the detail throughout the image but esp the eye. To me cleanup of the beak is optional but I would consider adding a bit more canvas to the Left side
Hi Norm. Looking at the thumbnail, I was wondering why a bird photo was posted in this forum - but then I saw that the image was as much about the parasitic fly as the bird. Despite the bright light, you have maintained good detail in the whites and your DOF has everything sharp other than the tip of the beak. I would agree with Allen about the areas of the background with the tiny white specks in them - these could easily be cleaned up. Kudos on getting a shot of the fly (looks like 2 legs from a second fly visible under the throat) as these are often hidden under the feathers. This may well be a type of Louse Fly (Family Hippoboscidae) and they often resemble ticks more than flies. They typically have rather flattened bodies which allows them to easily move about under the feathers.
Norm you have a very strong image and I like the detail. Something is bothering me slightly, it may be the light but if you applied a luminosity mask or perhaps a linear burn at a low setting it would improve the detail even further. I would eliminate the speckles in the background also.
Unwelcome Visitor
Reply With Quote
Despite the bright light, you have maintained good detail in the whites and your DOF has everything sharp other than the tip of the beak. I would agree with Allen about the areas of the background with the tiny white specks in them - these could easily be cleaned up. Kudos on getting a shot of the fly (looks like 2 legs from a second fly visible under the throat) as these are often hidden under the feathers. This may well be a type of Louse Fly (Family Hippoboscidae) and they often resemble ticks more than flies. They typically have rather flattened bodies which allows them to easily move about under the feathers.
