glossy starling

[greg cowle]

I know we are not supposed to photograph in these conditions, but still I did... I like the way the colors displayed in the bright light. In Kenya, I believe it is a Ruppell's glossy starling, correct me if it is not.
400mm, 1/1600, f4.5, ISO 250, trying to get the background to blur.
Greg

[Arthur Morris]

I do not know the species :( You did as well as possible in mega-hot light: a good EXP and sharp with a nice pose and a perfect head angle. Good on getting low. You made a mess of trying to clone out the bright blade of grass that started behind the leg and poked out of the back ... And, the entire BKGR is pretty messy.

See the Current Workflow eGuide (Digital Basics II) to learn to use Quick Masks (instead of the Clone Stamp Tool). And you can learn to reduce Contrast as well with images like this. And tons and tons more.

Do you live in Wonga Beach?

with love, artie

[greg cowle]

Hi Artie,
I didn't clone anything in this image, I think it is just the way that hot piece of grass is blowing up. And I agree the background is messy, it was a messy location... I still do not do a lot of post-processing, I need to spend some time learning the techniques.
Just moved to Wonga Beach.
Greg

[David Roach]

I Love the harsh light here because it showcases the iridescence of this beauty.

[Arthur Morris]

Hi Artie,
I didn't clone anything in this image, I think it is just the way that hot piece of grass is blowing up. And I agree the background is messy, it was a messy location... I still do not do a lot of post-processing, I need to spend some time learning the techniques.
Just moved to Wonga Beach.
Greg

Thanks Greg. Please post a JPEG that represents the original full frame capture (1920 wide < 600 kb). I'm from Missouri! I am trying to understand where the white sort of glowing smudge mark on top of the lower back came from.
thanks with love, artie

[John Mack]

The low angle and pose on the bird a very nice. Light is pretty harsh but who cares.

[greg cowle]

Hi Artie, I was surprised to go back to the original and find out I did indeed clone in this, so unusual for me in general. Didn't miss your eagle eyes! The cloning was done in Lightroom, and that tool is very limited, hence the mess you saw. Two lessons for me, one I need to spend some time to learn to be fluent in Photoshop (I already knew that), and two, I should review the original file before posting, particularly for an older photo. I tend to go back again and again, but work from where it ended last time...
I hope your trip to the South is productive, Greg.

[Arthur Morris]

Hi Artie, I was surprised to go back to the original and find out I did indeed clone in this, so unusual for me in general. Didn't miss your eagle eyes! The cloning was done in Lightroom, and that tool is very limited, hence the mess you saw. Two lessons for me, one I need to spend some time to learn to be fluent in Photoshop (I already knew that), and two, I should review the original file before posting, particularly for an older photo. I tend to go back again and again, but work from where it ended last time...
I hope your trip to the South is productive, Greg.

Hi Greg, :) Once I asked the same question and the guy got pissed off. I think that it was Robert Kimbrell who was and still is a good friend. He showed me the RAW and sure enough the dead straight line in the image was in the original ... Never saw anything like it.

Do check out the Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II) to get up to speed quickly. And start hanging out on my blog for lots of free tips every other day.

with love, artie