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Thread: Ferruginous Hawk

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    Default Ferruginous Hawk

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    Z6 Sigma 150-600 @600 ISO 1100 f/6.3 1/8000

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    Neat looking hawk. I would dodge the eye/face some.

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    Default Hawke re-post

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    Hi Justin. Agree with John here...bird looks good, but the steep angle is not the best. Also I'm not keen on the perch here. I'd remove the branches on the rhs above and below the main branch.

    Update: I did a quick 5 minute edit with more branches removed, overall exposure increase, and dodged the eye a little....WDYT?
    Last edited by Paul Burdett; 01-13-2021 at 05:05 PM.

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    Thank you Paul. That looks very nice. I can see how the details in the eye, in addition to removing the clutter and distraction of the other branches, make it a more compelling image. Did you remove the branches using photoshop? Perhaps this shot was a bette pose. It has more light in the face. I need to learn what details produce better images.


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    Lifetime Member gail bisson's Avatar
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    Hi Justin,
    Welcome to BPN.
    How exciting to see this hawk.It looks like there are remains of his dinner on the talons. Cool!
    There are several issues with your image.
    But first a few questions:
    Why is your shutter speed at 1/8000? Even if you were anticipating a flight shot there is no reason to be above 1/4000. It must have been very bright and sunny and that is a problem
    because the light becomes very harsh and makes birds look contrasty. Because the sun is high, it is difficult to get a catchlight in the eye. It would have been better to shoot at ISO 200 and lower your SS and /or increase your aperture.
    And shooting in the early morning or late afternoon always gives you softer light.
    2. How big of a crop is this?
    I ask because the IQ of the image is not very good. Bird is not sharp and it almost looks as if there is heat haze interfering with the image.
    When photographing birds, you want to try and get them at eye level- it makes for a much more pleasing image. If you look at various images on BPN you will often find that we complain about steep shooting angles!
    You also want to try to avoid perches where branches are intersecting with the bird- both in front and behind the bird. The image looks cluttered and you can see how Paul's repost got rid of all those branches and made the bird stand out.
    Finally, a blue sky is an OK background but it is always better to get a sky with clouds or some kind of distinguishing feature.
    The second image is better but the birds right eye is still in shadow.
    When shooting, always scour the edge of your viewfinder and try to position yourself (move up or down or left or right) to get the cleanest BG and no bits of branches sticking into the frame. Try to get clean edges.
    Stick with it and practice and you will be showing us some awesome images in no time!
    Gail

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    Hi Gail,

    Thanks for comments. I really appreciate it.

    I guess the shutter speed was at 1/8000 because it was set on aperture priority and auto ISO and zoomed in at 600mm and the camera set it automatically. So if the shutter speed is that high on a bright sunny day it makes the image more harsh? I think I need more experience to set the camera with the right settings before I take the shot rather than let much of it happen automatically.

    SS below 1/4000 and a higher aperture would have made a less harsh image?

    I don't have the experience to understand why steep shooting angles are unpleasing. Is it eye level images are more natural looking?

    Below is the original photo so there is a slight crop. Or maybe it is a big crop. I don't know how much cropping people do. My idea with the crop was to get some of the other branches out of the frame.

    Now I am beginning to understand how to frame the picture, and the things to focus on. It's not about just going out and shooting birds you see in a tree. I really appreciate the comments.

    One thing about the branches. How much manipulation of the image is considered fair or acceptable? Or is fair even a consideration in post? I mean you could remove a whole tree from an image just to get a clean background. Just curious about that.

    Ohh and finally, I don't know a ton about exporting images from Lightroom or Photoshop for the web. There is a 600 k file size and an image size limit of 1920. Is there any loss of IQ with these settings?

    Again thanks.

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    Lifetime Member gail bisson's Avatar
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    Hi Justin,
    A high SS and or aperture do not make the harsh light better or worse. Nothing can fix that unfortunately.
    I am sorry if I confused you! My sentences were rambling together.
    With regards to cloning out and how much is too much depends on the person. I try really hard not to clone anything. In other words, I try to get it perfect in camera. But I am not afraid to clone out an errant small branch or a bug or dust spots ( of which you have several!)
    When starting out in photography one shoots everything, anytime and no matter where but as you get better you learn when NOT to shoot. This could be because of terrible light, harsh light, terrible setting or a really tattered looking molting bird!
    Birds photographed at eye level give a much more intimate feel to the image. So if you are shooting ducks or shorebirds, get down on your belly. Getting low will often give you a better background.
    A big crop would be something over 50%. Your image is a small crop. The more you crop, the more detail and image quality you lose.
    And finally, you can lose IQ because of exporting web size but if you do your PP correctly, you should be fine for BPN.
    For your image to have been better:
    1. I would have moved to the left because that would take the branches on the LHS of the frame out of the picture and it would have shifted the branch that intersects with the belly to the right of the bird.
    2. I would have waited for the bird to turn his head to the (the viewers) left so that only birds left eye was showing and more light would have fallen on the eye because the sun was to your right.
    You must learn to use manual mode. Start reading and practicing!
    Hope this answers your questions,
    Gail
    Last edited by gail bisson; 01-13-2021 at 09:53 PM.

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    Hi Justin,
    Yes, I used Photoshop to edit your photo. Gail's comments are spot on, and I agree with using manual mode. You will, as I have done, learn much by posting images here. There are amazing photographers here, so don't be put off by what may appear to be harsh criticism...it's all meant to help us improve our art. Looking forward to seeing more of your work. Cheers,
    Paul

    P.S. Yes, the second pose (looking at us) is definitely better here.

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    the poor light angle really holds this one back, as evident above this isn't something you can fix with post processing. paying attention to where the light is coming from is perhaps the most important factor in making a pleasing final image with good quality and details.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Justin Bond View Post
    Hi Gail,

    Thanks for comments. I really appreciate it.

    I guess the shutter speed was at 1/8000 because it was set on aperture priority and auto ISO and zoomed in at 600mm and the camera set it automatically. So if the shutter speed is that high on a bright sunny day it makes the image more harsh? I think I need more experience to set the camera with the right settings before I take the shot rather than let much of it happen automatically.

    SS below 1/4000 and a higher aperture would have made a less harsh image?

    I don't have the experience to understand why steep shooting angles are unpleasing. Is it eye level images are more natural looking?

    Below is the original photo so there is a slight crop. Or maybe it is a big crop. I don't know how much cropping people do. My idea with the crop was to get some of the other branches out of the frame.

    Now I am beginning to understand how to frame the picture, and the things to focus on. It's not about just going out and shooting birds you see in a tree. I really appreciate the comments.

    One thing about the branches. How much manipulation of the image is considered fair or acceptable? Or is fair even a consideration in post? I mean you could remove a whole tree from an image just to get a clean background. Just curious about that.

    Ohh and finally, I don't know a ton about exporting images from Lightroom or Photoshop for the web. There is a 600 k file size and an image size limit of 1920. Is there any loss of IQ with these settings?

    Again thanks.
    Hi Justin,

    Welcome to BPN :)

    #1: learn to work in Manual mode :)

    #2: don't use Auto ISO :)

    #3: re: SS below 1/4000 and a higher aperture would have made a less harsh image? When the light is harsh you cannot do anything about it. What you need to learn is how to get the right exposure in Manual mode. I have some suggestions below.

    #4: Yes, viewing wildlife at their level is much more pleasing than getting a broken neck :)

    #5: It is best to avoid cropping or to crop minimally.

    #6: re: One thing about the branches. How much manipulation of the image is considered fair or acceptable? You get to decide that. I do not of image clean-up. But I always let folks know what I do.

    #7: To get a good light angle, have the sun coming right over your shoulder with your shadow pointed right at the subject.

    #7: Below is a list of suggestions for all beginning bird photographers.

    with love, artie

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