I had a good look at a Yellow-billed Cuckoo recently. Usually these birds are high in the tree, but this one came lower and didn't seem to mind me being nearby. In retrospect, I should've used a higher SS. I have a series of shots, none are entirely in focus. Could've used more DOF.
Toned down highlights, used the patch tool and spot healing brush to remove some distracting elements, sharpened and slightly increased contrast on the bird.
HH, 7D, 300f/4+1.4X, 1/400, f6.3, ISO 250, manual exposure, evaluative metering, cropped to vertical from horizontal
Hello Carolyn. I'm very new to this critiquing but I'll give it my best shot. I love the spider under the branch. Maybe he is why the cuckoo has come down lower for you. It looks to me like you were shooting in the middle of day. Whilst I am not familiar with the colouring of the bird, he looks a bright or washed out. Good eye contact. The BG is a little bright. Maybe it's your beautiful autumn colours. All in all, I like it a lot.
Very nice, especially considering the equipment and crop. You will be challenged to get the sharpest images handholding at that focal length and shutter speed.
The branch has more contrast than the bird, which makes it compete more than is ideal. I didn't see the spider till Glennie mentioned it! That area could be lightened a bit to bring it out. I'd pull down a gradient adjustment layer from the upper left and darken that corner a little -- brighter areas in corners can pull the eye from the subject.
Hello Carolyn. I'm very new to this critiquing but I'll give it my best shot. I love the spider under the branch. Maybe he is why the cuckoo has come down lower for you. It looks to me like you were shooting in the middle of day. Whilst I am not familiar with the colouring of the bird, he looks a bright or washed out. Good eye contact. The BG is a little bright. Maybe it's your beautiful autumn colours. All in all, I like it a lot.
Thanks for your observations, Glennie. It was ~1:30 and the light was a bit harsh. Not sure what I could've done to mitigate that...still learning. Yes, the spider was a bonus.
Very nice, especially considering the equipment and crop. You will be challenged to get the sharpest images handholding at that focal length and shutter speed.
The branch has more contrast than the bird, which makes it compete more than is ideal. I didn't see the spider till Glennie mentioned it! That area could be lightened a bit to bring it out. I'd pull down a gradient adjustment layer from the upper left and darken that corner a little -- brighter areas in corners can pull the eye from the subject.
Just a quick demo of some ideas.
Thanks for your suggestions, Diane. The contrast reduction on the branch makes it less obtrusive, and I agree about exposing the spider. Haven't yet used a gradient adjustment layer, but will look into it.
Very nice, I observed one in Hilton Head but as you mentioned, he stayed up fairly high in the trees so I never got a good shot. I do like the adjustments that Diane made and love the colors in the BG.
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Originally Posted by Glennie Passier
