I know I said there wouldn't be anymore for a while, but I just can't help myself. Diane has given me the wonderful suggestion of activating all the focus points instead of trying to nail one. (These birds are up, down, backward and skyward in a split second.) I can happily say using all those FPs has worked a treat. I have so many good, sharp images to pick from.
I was a bit unsure of the crop in this one. The small image crop is different to the crop I settled on in PS.
In ACR - Increased exposure a tiny .05. Shadows to the right. Blues increased in the HSL panel.
In PSCS6 - Desaturated his eye! It was so sharp that it looked like it was going to leave his head! Pruned off some berries around the edges. Curves layer on BG. Altered the colour of the berries slightly. NR on BG. Cropped and smart sharpened for posting.
Glennie, you did put this bird on a retainer, huh? Do you just sing and they come to you? Just kidding! You are so lucky to have these opportunities, Glennie!
I have to admit that I am jealous because this is absolutely beautiful! I love the texture on the background, I am wishing for it to be a little smoother or less crowded at the top, just like the at the bottom. Color is great from here and I love how you capture the purplish feet. I would take out the highlight OOF just next to the bird's head; it's just a little too strong to be next to the bird's head.
Just curious, did you make the berry perch or is it something you grow on your garden?
Some good comments there Adhika. Especially the purple feet. They're not really purple at all. I think there could be a cast happening here! And you are right about the OOF highlight. The berry perch is from my garden. Same perch from the previous post, but a little more shriveled. The bird landed before I had the opportunity to change it. The plant is Cordyline australis.
Last edited by Glennie Passier; 05-06-2016 at 01:39 AM.
Oh now I notice the wire attachment on the uncropped original version!
They don't have purple feet, eh?! I have never seen this species in person so I really don't mind the color but it's probably good to stay true to nature.
This is just awesome -- great subject, pose, perch and BG!! And the feet are very cool! Glad the focus tick is working! (But it won't be the best for all situations. Where you have time, choosing one point will still be best.)
The berries feel crowded at the bottom so I'd leave as much canvas as there is there. You might take a little off the left.
I think it works well here that the BG has more detail at the top, as it serves as a continuation of the visual path from the LR through the bird. In many images it's nice to have some weight at the bottom, and here you could achieve that by a gradient burn there. Not really necessary but it might be a nice touch to try.
Do keep posting these guys!!! That are fantastic!
I haven't had time to watch Avian for months but I encourage everyone here to post there also. I don't see anything wrong with posting an image there after it's been here. Somewhere there is an admonition not to post the same image in two different forums, but I'll argue that shouldn't apply to ETL.
Thank you Diane. Yes, I realise I should try for a single FP in most situations. This idea has worked a treat this time.
The crop had me wondering for a bit. I ended up with that one because I thought the bird made a nice diagonal from the right corner through the bird and to the direction he was looking. I did like the flow of the berries, so might try another crop version...and maybe be brave enough to post in the Avian!
Stunning execution Glennie,prefer the repost,although I have seen this bird here in captivity i'm not familiar enough to comment on colour. I actually like the background the colours are so vibrant on the bird I feel they more than out compete the background. The berries are a lovely touch Glennie really well thought out,the bird's pose wicked. I dunno kiddo i'm runing out of expletives here let's just say wow that rocks.... nuff said
take care and please keep posting them
Anothery
