This is a warbler (yellow-rumped, I think) that I saw on the eastern shore of Maryland last fall in November. It is one of the best bird photos that I have taken (I am very new to bird photography). I would like your thoughts on it and what I could have done to make it better. I also have one question: Does the berry that is covering the distal part of its tail significantly detract from the photo? Thank you all for your help and for having this forum available to newbies like me.
Chris, this is a splendid start. The bird is well lit and you have some really nice detail. In my opinion it is usually preferable to have an unobstructed view of the bird but that can be difficult, especially with little birds like this one that usually prefer to stay hidden in the foliage. There are post-processing techniques that some people use to 'fix' issues like the stray berry in your shot but I have not yet mastered these.
One thing I would point out is that there appears to be quite a lot of noise in the background. This also can almost certainly be improved by using one of the noise reduction software products.
I like this image a lot. The oof berries on the bg look excellent and the bird is well exposed and sharp.
Agree with you on the berry by the tail, removing will improve the image. Also would remove the one branch right by the corner. It is in focus and catches the eye. This could either be removed or blur. Will give it a try. Also for the bird is always best to have it looking slightly in your direction. Purpose is having the eyeball and tip of the bill in the same plane so both will be in focus. At an angle the dof will not be able to cover. Looking forward to many more !!!
Just made those changes. Eviction of berry and little trunk, transplanted berries into the area and rebuilt tail.
Welcome Chris. Nice image! I agree with the above comments. I attempted to reduce this by using Noise Ninja, a photoshop plugin filter. It seems to have worked ok for all areas of the BG with the exception of the OOF berries and leaves? I ran the filter twice but the berries still have that grainy look. I think that you could maybe blur the berries even further with "gaussian blur" another PS filter. Anyway, the combination of your sharp bird and the smooth noise free BG really makes your bird stand out IMO. Good luck and keep the images coming.
Dan Brown,
Sacramento
Last edited by Dan Brown; 06-09-2008 at 10:20 PM.
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Yellow-Rumped Warbler
