Immature Red-Shouldered Hawk

[Larry W Brown]

On a local bird-walk early last Tuesday at McAlpine Creek Park in Charlotte, NC. Caught this immature Red-Shouldered hawk catching some early morning rays. Camera set to Aperture priority at the time because of the low light (and my experience level ;)

Sony A6400 - Sony 200-600mm G f/5.6 - 6.3
1/1000 @ f/6.3, ISO 640
Light Topaz NR and Sharpen

[Randy Stout]

Larry:

I like the imperious pose, and it is a handsome bird.

The whites on the breast are a bit hot in some spots, could try to tone those down a bit. The sharpness of the head is a bit soft.

Always a challenge when shooting in trees like this because of the clutter of the various branches and twigs in the frame. Because those elements are high contrast against the sky, it causes them to compete with the subject for our attention.

Look forward to more.

Cheers

Randy

[Larry W Brown]

Larry:

I like the imperious pose, and it is a handsome bird.

The whites on the breast are a bit hot in some spots, could try to tone those down a bit. The sharpness of the head is a bit soft.

Always a challenge when shooting in trees like this because of the clutter of the various branches and twigs in the frame. Because those elements are high contrast against the sky, it causes them to compete with the subject for our attention.

Look forward to more.

Cheers

Randy

Randy,

Thank you for the constructive feedback! I feel I've improved since my last post (Bald Eagle) and your feedback is encouraging.

- I noticed the white spots as well and wondered if they were too bright.
- I did mask only the bird when I did some sharpening in Topaz Sharpen AI. Are you saying I should have sharpened the head a bit more?
- Yeah, the Red-shoulders are a woodsy hawk and stick very close to the trees.

Thnx Again,

Larry

[Randy Stout]

Larry:

I do think the head is still a bit soft as presented. Whether it will respond to additional sharpening is hard to tell sometimes, so I absolutely would give it a try. I have included a very quick pass at sharpening: Topaz AI, motion blur setting, brushed on the additional sharpening, concentrating on the eye and bill. Stayed away from the feathers on the back of the head, as they were showing some masking artifacts already, and didn't want them to go crunchy looking. I also softened the shadows a bit on the head with a brushed on levels adjustment. You can do a better job with the raw file.

Randy

[Larry W Brown]

Randy, thnx for the sharpening tips! I compared the two images side-by-side and I can readily see the difference. I'll practice on the raw file and I'm sure I will improve.

Larry