I took this from a boat on Gatun Lake in Panama. This little bird was sitting in shade under the tree canopy at the water's edge. I had just been shooting a group of birds in the middle of the lake under very bright sun when the boat spun around and I saw this bird in the shade. I only had time to take a few shots before the boat moved to an angle that partially obscured the bird. I think I should have opened up the aperture to reduce DOF and get a faster shutter speed but I didn't really have time to think. In any event, I was pretty happy to get the image.
This is a lovely image. I love the pose, perch and bokeh here. If it were my image the only thing I would try to change is the sharpness of the bird. I am sure it was very hard being on a boat shooting at 400mm with a shutter speed of 1/200 of sec. Also if this is cropped I might back it off just a bit. I am looking forward to seeing more of your images. :)
Welcome, Virginia, and nice post for your very first. I'm eager to see even more, as from reading your text, you're serious about photographing birds. I'm glad you were ready for this, and for a quick capture, you've cleaned up beautifully. My only nit is to ask if you considered making the area around the eye and beak a bit lighter.
Welcome Virginia! The ETL is a lot of fun and you will learn a lot. I will start by admitting I am still learning this craft of bird photography, so you must take everything I say with a grain of salt. I am no expert. Only giving my opinion on what I like, or don't like about your images.
This is a great first post. I have never seen one of these little birds before. I like the perch and the pose. Although his body is facing away, you have certainly caught his eye with that HA. I like the crop and you must have deliberated over it for some time. I like the upward curve of the branch. When I first saw it I thought it looked a bit heavy, but on second thoughts I feel it balances out nicely. I might also clone out the little fern leaf at his feet and maybe the white spot on the perch RHS. I might consider shaving off a tad at the top. Interesting to see Jack might "back off" a bit. Love the bokeh, but the brightest spot is drawing my eye.
I realise you were in a boat taking this, so well done on the focus. I shoot from a kayak quite often, so know how difficult it is to focus on anything! I agree with Jack and feel his face is just a little soft.
This is a very nice image, Virginia.
Keep them coming!
Last edited by Glennie Passier; 01-15-2016 at 07:58 PM.
Hi Virginia, and welcome to ETL!! A very nice first post. And well done for a bird in the shade, hand held. As you pointed out, a little more shutter speed might have given a little more sharpness, but that might have needed a higher ISO with its trade-off of noise. In a marginal situation it's a good idea to shoot a burst, as one will often be a little sharper.
I'd agree that maybe slightly less crop on the left is worth a look. The brighter areas on the right compete a little bit and I might consider cropping just enough there to get rid of them. That will leave the bird more centered but sometimes that's the best option.
Jim has a good point about lightening the area around the eye a little.
Black Breasted Puff Bird
