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Thread: Southern Carmine Bee-eater #2

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    BPN Member Bill Dix's Avatar
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    Default Southern Carmine Bee-eater #2

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    Here's another in the series of flight shots of this lovely bird during a termite feeding frenzy in Botswana. Alas no termite in this image.

    D500, Sigma 150-600 @ 420mm. ISO 1250, 1/3200s @ f/7.1 manual. HH

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    Lifetime Member Doug Brown's Avatar
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    Excellent detail, wing position, and light angle. Very dynamic pose too. Well done! I might remove the vertical line in front of the bird.
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    Bill:

    Nicely composed, strong sense of diving, colors, exposure.

    I get Doug's point. The vertical doesn't jump out at me, but it certainly could be softened a bit more.

    which version of the Sigma were you using, sport vs. contemporary?

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    BPN Member Bill Dix's Avatar
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    Thank you both. Yes, that vertical stripe could go. Randy, I'm using the Sigma Contemporary. I bought it a while back, but had this trip in mind when I did so, because of the luggage restrictions (and my aging shoulders). I've been very pleased with it as a travel lens.

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    BPN Member Bill Dix's Avatar
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    Here's a repost.

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    Hi Bill, really like the image and the repost but now the left hand side vertical grasses jump out at me! sorry, such a gorgeous shot so i'd prefer a smooth BG everywhere! The open beak is also a plus, well done!

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    This is a wonderful capture, Bill. The sun was at your back and all the colors pop beautifully. Like the open beak preparing for a termite. I have to agree with Ann in part, but I do like the texture created by the grasses. Here is what I came up with as a suggestion.

    Geoffrey

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  8. Thanks Isaac Grant thanked for this post
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    Bill not a lot between these but your repost does it for me,it's a beautiful image ,very very well caught.

    Keith.

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    Excellent pose light and tack sharp details! looks like you got many good frames from this encounter

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    Spectacular colors, sharpness and detail. The vertical line doesn't bother me in the OP. Looks like the sigma lens rocks as well. Well done!

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    Great light, detail and colors. Tack sharp with perfect wings up pose. You could play with the background on a rainy day if you were going to print it but for this venue it does not bother me. Super capture.

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    Another fantastic shot Bill. Beautiful details and wing position. I don't mind the grasses at all as that is where these birds live. Looking forward to more.

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    Hi Bill, looks like you had fun in a country next door to me. Its not easy to capture any Bee Eater in flight, and I like the open beak. Im fine with the grasses in the BG.

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    BPN Member Bill Dix's Avatar
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    Thank you again, everyone.

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    Lifetime Member David Salem's Avatar
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    Holy crap Bill, this one is truly a Rock star!! Definitely the best flight frame I've ever seen you post.
    This one has everything. Beautiful subject, great pose with no shadows showing at all, open beak, great head angle, smokin details, and a beautiful background. What more could you possibly ask for.
    I will be honest and tell you that both this one and the other 1 look a little thin to me and I would be playing with a little bit more saturation and blacks with both of these.
    Very proud of you Bill. You've been working hard at your craft and your efforts are definitely showing in the quality of your images. The Nikon AF system isn't hurting matters either. Well done
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    Lifetime Member David Salem's Avatar
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    Default Repost

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    Hey Bill. Didn't hear from you but I thought I would show you what I was talking about.
    Once I brought this into PS I could see that it was still a bit overexposed.
    It also needed a levels adjustment as the blacks were clipped by a bit.
    Probably 12 points to the right.
    Decreased exposure twice to equal a .3 decrease
    Once the exposure and blacks were better, the colors naturally started to come out. Added another 4 points of overall saturation.
    No sharpening needed as this one was stupid sharp.
    Cleaned up the BG a bit and took a little off of the front of the comp, totally personal preference.
    Thats it. Looks unreal!! Like I said, I think it's your best IF image. Cover of the website!
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    BPN Member Bill Dix's Avatar
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    Thank you David, for the kind words and for taking the time to work up a repost. Based on several of the comments, I had also tried some similar tweaks. My approach was slightly different, including a minor tweak of the WB and several points of black to the neutrals; but the end result looks pretty much like your repost, at least to my eye. It definitely has more pop. My recollection from seeing these birds for the first time was that their coloration was perhaps more delicate than your repost or mine, but we saw them in lots of different lighting conditions, from rain the hazy to harsh mid-day sun to sunset, so there was lots of variation. Here's my attempt.

    ps on second thought, seeing them side by side, yours seems to be a bit redder. I don't know which one more accurately reflects the bird. I also may not have sharpened the repost quite enough.
    Last edited by Bill Dix; 02-28-2018 at 08:59 AM.

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    I'm pretty sure this thread sets the record for the most reposts ever! Bill, I agree with your impression about the colors of the bird. I am not sure at what point in the processing you made your adjustments, but if this was mine I would go back to the original file and start over, paying special attention to getting the colors perfect and getting the feathers to look sharp but at the same time soft and natural. This may be a better approach then trying to tweak the final product a bit with some adjustments to the blacks, WB and the exposure. You have a real winner of a shot here that to me is worth the extra effort.

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    BPN Member Bill Dix's Avatar
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    Yes, Isaac. That's enough reposts, although I appreciate them. Good advice. Making adjustments on top of adjustments will ultimately end up as mud. Thanks.

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