I'm using this photograph of two small sandpipers in combat I took today as an example of a photographic dilemma I often encounter; part of a birds wing not being visible. First, details about the photo: 500mm, 1/1600 sec, F 6.3, ISO 200, +1 EV, 1:12 PM. Full sun. Quintana, Texas. Slight lightening of image PP. The bottom of the image was intentionally cropped, the top as photographed. It is obvious to me that the position of the sun, almost overhead, is detrimental to the photograph. However, the question is about the wing. The purist might say that the complete wing needs to be shown in birds in flight photographs. Of course a close up of any bird will crop the wings. The question is: is this a fundamental flaw and should I keep trying, and forget about this one?
Thanks in advance~onlybill
Last edited by WIlliam Maroldo; 06-02-2008 at 12:29 AM.
Hi Bill All things aside and considering only the wing .... In this instance there is nothing about purist at all. If you clip anything it makes for a poor image.
In birds is usually wings, in people is usually feet etc. It takes away from the image and shows that the photographer was unable to frame it properly. Cutting a wing or in the case of humans the legs intentionally is different. When we do for birds is usually at the wing joint in case of humans just above the knee.
Same applies to lost of other subjects, its the difference between intentional and un-intentional ... nothing to do with purist. ........ and btw please send me your full name you can not have internet names. All members need full names Thanks.
Hi Bill.
Nice action shot. Its soft and a bit out of focus...need to lighten the eye area and do selective sharpening also the bird is handicap...:eek: with a clipped wing...ouch...:eek::eek::D
Alfred: thats exactly what I have been looking for, a clear concise rule "If you clip anything it makes for a poor image." Thank You. I wasn't sure about the name thing. I'll send you a the info, and you can tell me what I need to do.
Gus: your consideration appreciated. I didn't do much PP, for I anticipated the major problem with the photo. I was almost certain that if it had strictly been a flight shot, the clipping would be a no-no, but an action shot, I wasn't sure. Unfortunately, though I did get a number of non-clipped images of the two birds behaving in such a combative way, which incidentally was almost too fast for the eye to see, the position of the sun and the harsh lighting make me wonder if it is a lost cause. I have plenty of other images to work on. Thank You
The full overhead sun is a big issue. It creates dark shadows and high-contrast and combined generally makes for a poor result. Fill flash can help.
I generally do not photograph after 10 am and not before 4 pm for birds. In Florida I will stop even earlier and start even later especially in the summer.
Sometimes I prefer a close crop to a wing tip being clipped.
The only real solution is to frame your subjects "looser".
Think of the money you can save on long glass!
I cropped the wing, purely a matter of personal taste.
I used the shadow/highlight tool in a background layer. I masked it and painted in the areas I wanted covered.
The blur tool was used to knock down some of the "sparkles".
Bill, I know this experience all to well. Cutting the wing, rather than clipping the tip is really the way to go. Dad, great repost. Really proves the point of cutting rather than clipping very nicely! The image had a few problems with lighting (1:12PM doesn't give the best light angles :)) that you did a good job improving also. Great visual aid.
James: I appreciate the time you spent on the image, and you are indeed a miracle worker! I am amazed. I did shoot a number of images of the combating sandpiper (its had to believe such a tiny bird can be so aggressive) other than the one shown, and none have clipped wings, but they all have the same lighting conditions. As a professional, do you look at a situation and and think "this lighting is terrible, its not worth the trouble", or do you ever try to make the best of a bad situation? I know you would consider a flash unit, or some other trick up your sleeve, but what if there was no solution other than Post Processing like you so admirably demonstrated? Are the images worth creating in the first place?
Back to the image in question. Let me see if I understand . You essentially separated the birds from the background by masking the birds, took care of the problems in the background, then unmasked the birds and
lightened the entire image? Or (what I would do) is invert the mask, sharpen and possible lighten the birds, then remove the mask (or flatten the image in PS)? The use of the blur tool to knock out the sparkles is also something useful to know.
Now about the cropping. I'm afraid I need guidance there most of all. Are there any set rules, or is it purely a matter of individual taste?
Thanks to the other members who commented. Robert: I understand the early and late are the best times to photograph. What about cloudy days. Wouldn't this cut down on the high contrast and dark shadows?
William, from what I've learned on this site so far, I'd say the pros would skip less-than-ideal situations like this. Personally, I might go ahead and take the image if there's something special about it (the action, or a bird I've not got an image of yet); then I'd do what I could to improve it in post-processing, and hope for another opportunity for a better image next time! James' redo of your image showed that alot of improvement was possible here. The more experience you get, the more you will pass on shots that aren't good opportunities, I think. Until then, practice, practice, practice! (My opinion only!)
Bill,
As a general rule, I'm not out when the sun is high in the sky. However, if I did find myself out in horrible light, with a camera and some cool action took place, I would photograph it.
I'm chronic.
As for the adjustments.
I did them as background layers. The correction was done globally. I then applied a layer mask and just used the paint brush tool to paint in the areas I wanted affected.
As for the crop, a clipped wing looks like a mistake, a closely cropped wing looks up close and personal.
Like the decision on the crop, personal.
The up close and personal idea is great.
Just one more thing: I was thinking about photo and the shadow.. The shadow, it would seem to me, is an important part of the composition. What it does is give a visual clue of the the actual position of the birds above the surface and might add a 3D dimensionality that wouldn't be there without it. Indeed the shadow is dependent on the time of day the image was taken, and it is possible that it wouldn't even show-up in the frame at another times of day. Just a thought
a photographic dilemma
