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Thread: Kingfisher (BOAS)

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    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
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    Default Kingfisher (BOAS)

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    Another frame from the 'work in progress', light/DoF/SS are all still less than ideal, but no use complaining work with what you have, hopefully when I next get back to this spot, Spring will be round the corner and days will be brighter and so a tad more DoF a faster SS and less ISO will be welcome. By April if she is part of a being pair we might have so new editions fingers crossed. Keeping well away from any nest, or at least 100m, no need for a Schedule 1 Licence.

    Again - with the variable light, ISO was up & down and the KF constantly on the move it was had to keep on top of settings, although SS 1/1000 and ISO6400 would not be any hardship. Shot from the Sparrow Hawk hide.

    Thanks to those who commented or viewed the last posting.

    Steve

    Subject: Kingfisher (F) (Alcedo atthis)
    Location: UK
    Camera: Canon EOS-1D X Mark III
    Lens: EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4x III
    Exposure: 1/500s at f/6.3 ISO4000 EV -0.33
    Original format: Portrait, almost FF
    Processed via: LRCC 10.5 & PSCC 22.5.1
    Post Production: It’s ALL about what you do with the tools and not, which brand of tool you use.

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    BPN Member William Dickson's Avatar
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    This is looking good Steve....The BG colours blend well and show the bird at its best....Nice detail, colours and HA on the bird...The perch is nice, it would look better if it was all in focus....but, as you said better light etc...or, turn the perch at the location so all is in focus...

    Will

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    Macro and Flora Moderator Jonathan Ashton's Avatar
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    Looks absolutely spot on Steve, the pose is pretty much ideal, colours and details all there. Attractive perch, the background is featureless, if you like it like that well its great.......
    I must admit though I am not crazy about the magenta feature in the background, a little reduction in ACR helps I think... just my personal thought. (What I am really saying is that I prefer the background in the top portion to the bottom portion of the image).

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    Hi Steve, just about perfect. Love the colors, post processing, perch and background. Nothing much you can do about it because the angle to the bird is perfect but the tip of the perch going out of focus is unfortunate. Thank you for sharing.
    Joe Przybyla

    "Sometimes I do get to places just as God is ready to have somebody click the shutter"... Ansel Adams

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    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
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    it would look better if it was all in focus....but, as you said better light etc...or, turn the perch at the location so all is in focus...
    Cheers Will, she has three perches to choose from all at various distances, so it's hard to know which one she will go too, plus, as you know they do dart about a bit, so moments can be fleeting. Then she goes to the other side of the river and just sits there, occasionally preening, but seems just to taunt us. You won't get all of the perch in focus sadly and perhaps f/7.1 might have just pulled in a tad more on the subject, certainly I could have ramped the ISO up on the MK3 no problem to around 8-10k ISO, but decided to keep within an optimum range.


    I must admit though I am not crazy about the magenta feature in the background, a little reduction in ACR helps I think... just my personal thought.
    Hi Jon, it's just the way the BKG goes, it various so much depending on the light, I quite liked it as it was going to the opposite side of the spectrum and gained more separation between subject/perch and the backdrop. If you saw the actual backdrop which is a steep bank of about 35m with trees and fallen leaves, hugely ugly but the distance and lens has compressed things nicely.


    Nothing much you can do about it because the angle to the bird is perfect but the tip of the perch going out of focus is unfortunate.
    Cheers Joe, hopefully in time I can get all those boxes ticked, but I want to avoid it being too contrived, at the moment it's just having fun with this subject and I will post more shots, still not ideal, but it's good to share and get the feedback.
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    Macro and Flora Moderator Jonathan Ashton's Avatar
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    A further thought, maybe if all the perch was in focus it would then become a slight distraction? Could you possibly angle the perch so both ends drift out of focus?

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    Publisher Arthur Morris's Avatar
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    Steve,

    How far were you from the subject? What aperture do you think that you would need to get the entire perch sharp?

    I think that the image is quite excellent as presented.

    with love, artie
    BIRDS AS ART Blog: great info and lessons, lots of images with our legendary BAA educational Captions; we will not sell you junk. 30+ years of long lens experience/e-mail with gear questions.

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    I like this one better than the last one Steve. I like the slight head turn here better. The light and detail look great. I also wish the entire perch was in focus, but understand the limitations you were dealing with.

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    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
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    Steve, How far were you from the subject? What aperture do you think that you would need to get the entire perch sharp? I think that the image is quite excellent as presented.
    Thanks Artie. In answer to your question, according to the Exif data I was 5.2m away, 17.6 ft in old money, I doubt I could achieve the whole perch in focus, nor would I. Subject is appropriately six inches high.

    Now, the perch is like a right angle and so the LH part is more to camera and slightly angled down. So I would have liked just a little more DoF on the subject (f/8) and just to have the perch also a fraction more in focus, but letting the larger clump of moss LHS going out of focus, almost as is, NOT everything in focus. So, with hindsight instead of putting the focus point on the eye, probably positioning it more on the shoulder or wing probably would have been better, therefore having 1/3 in focus at the front, 2/3 back?

    Would welcome you reply Artie.
    Post Production: It’s ALL about what you do with the tools and not, which brand of tool you use.

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    BPN Member Andreas Liedmann's Avatar
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    Hi Steve ... such a great subject , captured nicely and even nicer processed image ... bringing out all the " glory " of this little beauty !!!!
    Do not see any need of Bots light ... when i see those wonderful colors rendered and soft variations in them .

    Personally I do think the discussion above about the perch , is pointless IMHO .... looks perfect to me .

    Super cool image , I would like to call my own ... so far I have none of this species .


    TFS Andreas

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    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
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    Personally I do think the discussion above about the perch , is pointless IMHO .... looks perfect to me .
    I'm probably being ultra picky on my image Andreas, but welcome Artie's thoughts, just thinking ahead for future images.
    Post Production: It’s ALL about what you do with the tools and not, which brand of tool you use.

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    I love this image just as presented. However, if it were mine (wish it was) I would crop more off the bottom to just above the oof left side of the perch into the middle clump. This would make the perch more or less symmetrical. WDYT?
    Last edited by Paul Burdett; 02-06-2022 at 09:50 PM.

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    However, if it were mine (wish it was) I would crop more off the bottom to just above the oof left side of the perch into the middle clump. This would make the perch more or less symmetrical.
    Thanks Paul, however, firstly I feel folk like to crop hard in, I prefer to give the subject room to breathe, plus for me, it just feels everything gets too close to the foot and can have the appearance of the subject 'falling out of frame'. Personally I tend to crop 'in camera' with around 10-15% all round for that final crop in PP. I much prefer to use extenders too, if I cannot get close to the subject, that way I can retain IQ and avoid heavy cropping, why through those nice mega pixels away, why not keep them and retain IQ overall, just my take, even at 45mp.
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    Fair enough Steve. Different strokes for different folks I guess. Maybe taking a little off the top would lessen the "falling out of the frame" feel, but I understand your crop reasoning.

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    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
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    Different strokes for different folks I guess.
    Paul, it's always good to suggest, as sometimes we 'don't see the wood for the trees' and then suddenly with that suggestion - it all falls into place, that's what makes a good forum, in my book. The guilty part is to walk away and not make a comment, as that might just be... 'The Golden Ticket' and just elevates the image.
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    Very true Steve.

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    Publisher Arthur Morris's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Steve Kaluski View Post
    Thanks Artie. In answer to your question, according to the Exif data I was 5.2m away, 17.6 ft in old money, I doubt I could achieve the whole perch in focus, nor would I. Subject is appropriately six inches high.

    Now, the perch is like a right angle and so the LH part is more to camera and slightly angled down. So I would have liked just a little more DoF on the subject (f/8) and just to have the perch also a fraction more in focus, but letting the larger clump of moss LHS going out of focus, almost as is, NOT everything in focus. So, with hindsight instead of putting the focus point on the eye, probably positioning it more on the shoulder or wing probably would have been better, therefore having 1/3 in focus at the front, 2/3 back?

    Would welcome you reply Artie.
    YAW>. Glad that you realized that getting everything in sharp focus would be impossible (without stacking) and undesirable as well. The d-o-f with telephoto lenses is very close to 50/50 with telephotos lens. The 1/3-2/3 bit if for wide angles.

    Just for the record book, I always and only focus on the bird's eye. And for this image, I do not see much need for additional d-o-f on the subject. It looks great to me.

    with love, artie
    BIRDS AS ART Blog: great info and lessons, lots of images with our legendary BAA educational Captions; we will not sell you junk. 30+ years of long lens experience/e-mail with gear questions.

    BIRDS AS ART Online Store: we will not sell you junk. 35 years of long lens experience. Please e-mail with gear questions.

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    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
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    Just for the record book, I always and only focus on the bird's eye.
    So do I Artie, drummed into me from an early age by Andy R, never looked back since.


    And for this image, I do not see much need for additional d-o-f on the subject. It looks great to me.
    Cheers Artie, probably just being hyper critical on my judgement, just keep striving for even better captures.
    Post Production: It’s ALL about what you do with the tools and not, which brand of tool you use.

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