Results 1 to 12 of 12

Thread: Australasian Darter giving me the eye

  1. #1
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    Jan 2018
    Location
    Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
    Posts
    2,545
    Threads
    383
    Thank You Posts

    Default Australasian Darter giving me the eye

    Attached Images Attached Images
     
    I took a number of shots of this darter, but settled on this pose. Would have liked to get lower, but I was on a pier looking slightly down.

    D500/500PF, 1/1000th sec, f5.6, iso800. Cheers.

  2. #2
    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Somewhere in the world
    Posts
    20,688
    Threads
    1,296
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Hi Paul, looks well exposed with some lovely detail. I like the light tweak of the head and ruffled neck feathers.

    For me I think/feel you could push the darker areas more before clipping, to get a slightly richer/clarity look to the plumage. Running a luminosity layer over the post will help the brighter parts of the natural post, albeit I would drop the blue and slight sharpening on it, but that's my take. Just watch the singing on that neck where it's going a bit purple.

    Would have liked to get lower, but I was on a pier looking slightly down.
    I might have gone a tad higher otherwise some folk may feel the angle is too steep if you went lower???

    TFS
    Steve
    Post Production: It’s ALL about what you do with the tools and not, which brand of tool you use.

  3. #3
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    Jan 2018
    Location
    Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
    Posts
    2,545
    Threads
    383
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Hi Steve. Good points, thanks. Yes, a tad higher makes sense. The purple colouring you refer to should be more of a brown...it's natural colour at the top of the head and neck area. It's in the raw file, so maybe due to the light? I'll go back and take a look at the "natural" post. I was quite happy with the blacks, but will review that as well. I appreciate your suggestions and keen eye. Cheers.

  4. #4
    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Somewhere in the world
    Posts
    20,688
    Threads
    1,296
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    The purple colouring you refer to should be more of a brown...it's natural colour at the top of the head and neck area. It's in the raw file, so maybe due to the light? I'll go back and take a look at the "natural" post. I was quite happy with the blacks, but will review that as well. I appreciate your suggestions and keen eye. Cheers.
    That's fine Paul, but with any 'Global' or changes in the Colour management of the file, you may have changed it slightly, perhaps a layer mask just to target that area? Again, re Blacks you can easily see where you start to clip so easy fix, try Levels via the Black & Gamma slider.
    Post Production: It’s ALL about what you do with the tools and not, which brand of tool you use.

  5. #5
    Lifetime Member gail bisson's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    Nova Scotia
    Posts
    12,731
    Threads
    910
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    This is very nice.
    Love the pose and the look back. The ruffled neck feathers are great.
    Lots of DOF so good details throughout the image.
    The BG blue is lovely. The blue transition line on left of bird seems to suggest the image needs to be rotated CW a degree or two but but then the perch might look crooked.
    Worth a try to see how it looks.
    Love that single toenail sticking out.
    Gail

  6. #6
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    Jan 2018
    Location
    Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
    Posts
    2,545
    Threads
    383
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Thanks Gail...your feedback is always appreciated.

  7. #7
    Super Moderator Daniel Cadieux's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    Ottawa, Canada
    Posts
    26,311
    Threads
    3,979
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Quite the whimsical look here!! Good vertical comp, sharpness, colours. I think you were at the perfect height here, and resulting in the transition line behind the subject being at a good spot. The most has some nice weathering to it, especially the mossy greens. I could see the head going a touch darker, especially the very top where there seems to be a bit of "bleeding" from the BG onto it (perhaps an illusion). A very pleasant and fun image!!

  8. #8
    Avian Moderator Brian Sump's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2020
    Location
    Golden, CO
    Posts
    2,658
    Threads
    230
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Paul, congrats this is a really nice frame overall! That combo is creating some super detail for you - a drastic improvement in IQ from before fairly consistently.

    The perch isn't all world but the moss on the side really helps IMO.

    I like the subject position in frame and the sky/bkg is nice as well. Keep up the good work!

  9. #9
    BPN Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2013
    Location
    Waynesville, Ohio, United States
    Posts
    1,348
    Threads
    227
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Paul a beautiful bird and shot. Love all the detail and sharp . Don't have much else to add guess if you could bring out some more in the blacks it would even be that much greater.Background colors are super. I just really love it the more I look. TFS

  10. #10
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    Jan 2018
    Location
    Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
    Posts
    2,545
    Threads
    383
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Thanks so much Brian and Kevin...your feedback is much appreciated.
    Daniel: You have a keen eye...I did darken down the top of the head a bit, but yes, it needs more. It is in fact a combination of the "bleeding" and the fact that I did some cloning above the head and BG due to distracting shades. Thanks as always for your constructive criticism.

  11. #11
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    Jul 2016
    Location
    Ithaca, NY
    Posts
    10,421
    Threads
    1,708
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Image quality looks great. Love that stare and the patterns on the feathers.

  12. #12
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    Jan 2018
    Location
    Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
    Posts
    2,545
    Threads
    383
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Thanks so much John.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Web Analytics