This was taken at a feeder. Canon 7d, EF 400mm f/5.6 lens, ISO 200, f/7.1, 1/200 sec, and reduces flash.
Processed in Lightroom. highlights -26, shadows +26, whites +30, blacks -30, clarity +10, cropped.
My only thing that I don' like about this one is the white spot on the beak but I think it may be a bit too much for me to try to fix in PS.
Very nice!! Great detail, both for focus and tonalities (detail in lights and darks). Great over-the-shoulder look. Wonderful soft light. The gray BG is perfect for the subtle browns, and the gray and soft tan perch fits the color scheme perfectly.
I would definitely work on that seed on the beak. Just zoom way in and size the cloning brush to tiny and carefully paint away. Make a duplicate of the BG layer in case you need to back out. I'd also rub out the one snowflake that is closest to the breast and probably the one that's right off the tip of the tail.
Holy Dooley! This is nice! Colours are lovely - BG and bird and perch. Beautiful. Composition is very pleasing to me. "Grasshopper" has already mentioned the beak and snowflake.
Was this on a tripod Jack? The SS and ISO seem slow and low for a little twitchy bird. You must have been able to get quite close to him.
Thank you Glennie and Diane. I used a gitzo tripod with a wimberly head. Sorry I didn't mention it below. I am pretty impressed with the cloning job I did on it's beak. I didn't think I could do it. Thanks for pushing my limits Diane. I used the clone stamp tool on the beak and auto fill for the snow flakes.
Excellent, Jack! Cloning is a wonderful skill -- keep working with it!
The 1/200 sec SS comes from having a flash on the camera -- it limits the SS to a certain max, usually 1/180 to 1/250 depending on the camera. You can go to longer SSs, but the max is to assure the flash will occur while the shutter is fully open. The shutter is two horizontal curtains, the first one opens and then after the set time the second one follows behind it and closes. The effect is a horizontal slit of light running across the sensor. With a fast SS the slit is very narrow.
The actual light burst giving the exposure (or most of it) would be about 1/800 sec or faster, depending on the power of the flash. (Lower power = shorter flash duration.)
Yep. Good cloning job Jack! No idea the clean up has been done.
Looks like I've shot myself in the foot again. I know nothing of flash lighting. I did read in the post that flash was used. Thank you for explaining Diane.
Late to the party. Sorry. I don't have any astute, or other, observations. But I did want to write how much I enjoy looking at this image. And it gives a strong sense of your affection for the bird. Congratulations on the progress you made in working with Diane and accepting her suggestions. Magic. TFS.
Dark-eyed Junco
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