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Theme Red-rumped parrots
Hi all - my first post to this forum category - couldn't resist trying to get a shot in for the monthly theme. I have cheated here a little though as most of the birds are no longer in the water but they were a split second before. I hope that's OK? Something spooked them while I was firing away so it was a lucky shot. Most of the birds in this frame are males.
Capture details: Canon 80D with EF 100-400 MkII at 400mm handheld. Manual exposure 1/2000 sec, f7.1, ISO 1000. Processed in Canon DPP 4 (digital lens optimiser, crop, lighting adjustments, default NR) then exported 16 bit TIFF to Photoshop Elements with Neat Image NR plugin where a very light dose of NR applied to the sharp birds and the rest given a more hefty dose. Bird in the water has had highlights reduced. I have cloned out the tail of a bird just exiting the top left corner of the frame. A few minor clones on the background as well.
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Avian Moderator
Glenn:
Congrats on your first Avian post. Certainly does fit the theme well!
Group take off shots are always a challenge, re: spacing, overlap, where to focus, etc. Often you don't have much time to change settings either.
Very colorful, well exposed. It would have helped the frame to have the top center bird sharper. That one and the bird in the water are the two strongest components visually to me. Better focus would also help give a sense of separation from the other birds in the background.
Group shots are often low yield % wise, but can be powerful when it all works out.
Look forward to more.
Cheers
Randy
MY BPN ALBUMS
"Tact is the art of making a point without making an enemy" Sir Isaac Newton
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BPN Member
I can see where you are coming from with this image Glenn, but to me there is 'too much going on' in the OOF department. A difficult image to capture. Randy's comments will serve you well.
Will
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Many thanks Will and Randy. I actually like the OOF birds in this but accept I may be a bit 'different' in my views! Regarding sharpness of the birds, the flying bird in focus is sharp on the back end but head has suffered some motion blur so I applied some USM there to try and fix. Obviously too far gone to save. The bird in the water is very sharp. I have also selectively sharpened post-downsizing but if you think I've under-done that, let me know.
Cheers
Glenn
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Avian Moderator
Glenn:
Having a variety of tastes in images is good! Very easy to fall into a predictable pattern! I have no problem with the concept at all of OOF birds in the background, just wanted to share what I have found seems to be most effective for me.
Keep them coming!
Cheers
Randy
MY BPN ALBUMS
"Tact is the art of making a point without making an enemy" Sir Isaac Newton
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Lifetime Member
In addition, I think the bird in flight is only slightly angled away from you, which is not ideal, but you've good action here and the colours add interest. Having a sharp bird at the bottom helps, but the softness of the flying one kind of detracts.
It's not easy, so practice will make for good improvements!
keep up the good work!
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