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Hi nice image. I would cr0p more off the top and move the bird over to the left in the frame so the tail isn,t on the edge of the frame.
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I'd crop the top enough to get rid of that stub of a branch (not just to get rid of it, but that also feels like the right amount, to me) and some off the left -- nothing happening over there. Some room for the bird to look into is good, but for my tastes you don't need quite that much, especially since the right side of the frame is quite heavy with the large branches. And I'd like to have more room on the right, if you have it. The tail is a bit crowded.
When you say no post processing, there is no such thing with digital. If it was a JPEG the camera did the processing for you. If RAW, and you just accepted the defaults of the RAW converter, 99.9% of the time you can do better. The sky color is very well-handled and I like the exposure, but contrast could be a little less. It isn't tack sharp, but that's from the photography end of things. Could be many causes. It's a constant pursuit.
Can you give more information about the PP, which would include both RAW conversion and anything done in PS, which I assume you meant you didn't use.
Looking forward to seeing more of your work here!
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thanks Kevin and Diane, for your insight, I am eager to learn and improve...and of course it gets me outdoors, which I love. Diane, it is JPEG and I get what you are saying about post processing, I just did not do anything myself in PS. I have Elements 6 and am thinking of upgrading and shooting some RAW to learn more. Is it worth while to upgrade to Elements 12 or get Lightroom 5, in your opinion? I did shoot with a monopod, so sharpness would probably be improved with my tripod, but when I walk far I prefer the monopod. Such a great site here, plan on interacting more and delving into more posts to learn from others.
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Hi Willie,
It is absolutely worthwhile to learn to process RAW files! And not at all difficult. For now, set the camera to RAW + JPEG and you will have both as you learn.
A calibrated monitor will help, so you are seeing proper detail in light and dark tones. And you can do it with the least expensive packages. I've been meaning to post a tutorial on monitor calibration as a sticky at the top of the ETL forum -- stay tuned.
Definitely upgrade to the latest Elements! -- It is a big improvement over v6. It has a decent RAW processor, just not as powerful as PS's Adobe Camera RAW or LR. I love LR and couldn't live without it. But if I were you I'd do Elements first, as that will give you inexpensive access to features that LR doesn't have, such as layer adjustments. (The alternative is the subscription to PS CC which over time is a hefty investment.) Learn what you can there for RAW processing, then consider LR a little later for more powerful RAW processing features and organization. It is supposed to remain a stand-alone product for the near future (as opposed to the subscription model now in place for PS CC) so it could be purchased separately without the ongoing investment in PS CC, which many of us who already have PS CS6 are not doing.
Good luck -- looking forward to following your journey!
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Yes, for me, this is better -- it is the crop I had in mind, but others may differ. In the end, it's your opinion that matters!
It does look sharper, too. But ultimately, it's the sharpness you get in camera that is the limiting factor -- or close to it. It's not really something you can fix after the fact. From that point, it's mostly a matter of don't reduce it with noise reduction, and do what you can to hold onto it when you resize.
I don't see a difference in contrast, but a JPEG glues shadow and highlight detail into an image, depending on parameters set in the camera. For me, the best way to optimize contrast (which often means reducing it) is to use the Shadows and Highlights sliders in the current versions of Adobe Camera Raw, which I think you should find in the newest version of Elements.
BTW, I'm not far west of you, in Santa Rosa.
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Yes, opinion matters, but I value this sites more experienced folks. I can fiddle around with those and then judge for myself. Thanks again, I am working on my raindance for CA. Going shopping for elements 12....
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BPN Member
Hi Willie, I think this shot is amazing for no "human" post processing! The detail and DOF (is that what you were referring to as DF?) on the bird works ok for me. Your angle, (looking up at the bird coupled with the bird looking up) is a difficult one (but, HEY... with these little guys, we're almost ALWAYS looking up at them!) The "heaviness" and multiple thick branches are a bit of a problem, as Diane mentioned above.
I upgraded from PSE6 to PSE11 a few months ago..... best way to do it is to go to the Adobe site and choose PSE12 (it should be out of Beta status now).... elect and download the 30-day free trial.... The Free Trial version is actually the complete program (it's just designed to 'self-destruct' after 30 days).... when I got within a couple of days of the end of the Free Trial, Adobe sent me a discount offer. Since I was a PSE6 user, final price on PSE11 was only $50.00. It's RAW does just enough, without being too confusing. There are some changes between the older and newer programs, but pretty much follows the same logic sequence.
Will look forward to seeing more from you! Thanks.... these little birds are real cuties!
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thanks for the input Sandy, I did find a deal on PSE12 and now I just need to figure out how to use it!
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BPN Member
Willie... it pretty much works like PSE6, but some things have been moved around.... acquaint yourself with the RAW on a photo, first.... then "snoot around" and you will likely find all the PSE6 stuff, but much improved! I'm still learning it too... feel free to email or PM me if you would like to "yak" about it.
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