I was set up with 1200mm, waiting (mostly in vain) for a Bullock's Oriole to land on a perch he occasionally uses approaching the nest. But the branch is very high and doesn't make a good picture. Then this guy emerged from the shadows of the tree into just a little bit of soft light. ISO 1600, 1/1000, f/10.
I had only the center sensor (5D3 with the 600 f/4 + a 2X) and I placed it on the eye and didn't take time to recompose as he was slowly moving. Then I cropped it to this composition to emphasize the face, 35% of the full frame. The head angle isn't "perfect" but neither am I...
The usual adjustments in LR, some sharpening in PS, a touch of Detail Extractor and NR.
Diane This looks fine to me with a great BG
Dont know about all the funny techs you mention but I just love big head shots- of any species. Maybe a tiny bit noisy in the BG but its late and my specs keep falling off !
Cheers
JohnR
I'm a big fan of tight head portraits too, so for that reason the image appeals to me. I do wish for a better head angle though, and although you mention the focus point being on the eye it does seem a tad softer than the bill and ruffled feathers on the neck. I am certain a bit more selective sharpening on it would help.
P.S. Not sure if you read it, but I tried your LR tip for the reds afterwards and I really liked what it did. Thanks!
Thanks, Daniel -- you're welcome! Some colors are sometimes a real challenge.
I do have a shot with a better head angle but the beak ending in that pool of green appealed to me on this one. I'll post the other one next. I did better with 1200mm than I expected. The optics are sharp but camera shake is a real problem. Any movement, including mirror slap, really "rings" on the Wimberley. It's better on a solidly-supported beanbag.
I do seem to get soft eyes too much -- maybe it's just unrealistic expectations. It often doesn't make sense, either, as here the neck feathers are closer than the eye and the bill is farther, I was actually surprised I got that much DOF. I will give it some sharpening there, though. I have no problem improving (or trying to) on a capture!
As an advert for how much detail you can get this is a great shot. Excellent exposure, no point in mentioning the head angle as you know yourself. Well done with such magnification.
BCNH Juvenile Portrait
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