Prothonotary Warbler

[Dorian Anderson]

While passing through Tennessee on our cross-country pet-sitting adventure, I spent a wonderful morning at the
Meeman-Shelby State Forest outside Memphis. The place was loaded with warblers, so I found a decent perch
in a roadside clearing, clipped my speaker to it, and reeled in this cooperative subject.

I've gone for something very different here, mainly because I couldn't make a landscape crop work with OOF green
bit to the right of the bird in the original frame (full frame shown below). There wasn't a lot of light under the canopy,
so I was at f/5.6, a setting which didn't leave me with much DOF on the perch (it's a fallen tree wrapped by woody
vines). Given that the bird was looking up, into the perfect BG, I decided to highlight the negative space above the
bird rather than keep more of OOF perch. I love the interplay of yellow and green, and I'll be curious to see what folks
think of my reasoning and results.

Canon 600mm f/4 IS II + 1.4x III on EOS R5
1/500 at f/5.6, ISO 2000
Processed in LR CC and Topaz. Cloned a few tiny white spots on bill, but that's it.

[Dorian Anderson]

Full frame, straight out of camera. I think this would look decent if I cloned just the bare stick a upper right and left the green thingy as is.
I think that would look completely natural/real. Not like some obvious/perfect set-up, right?

[Jonathan Ashton]

MUCH prefer the second image - not surprised eh??!! I would remove the twig on RHS as you suggested, maybe a slice off the base to around the level of your name.

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Dorian, based on the techs and size of crop I think you are close to the edge for IQ. The presentation has more of a 'studio' look & feel, especially with the solid green backdrop, I think having more habitat would work better. The brighter HLs and dark contrasts in the logs are clashing, softening them down brings more of a natural look. The subject is nice and bright, but can't help feel the yellow is flooding/bleeding and so finer detail couple with the crop it's hard, but there is detail both in the eye & beak & grey flight feathers, so perhaps it is just how you have adjusted the yellow? The crop for me isn't working, too much negative space above unless used editorially, 10 x 8 I think is perhaps more sympathetic???

Regarding the FF posting I personally find this far more appealing, based on RoT's and some simple PP I think you have more of a winner. Crop format is of course personal and other options are are available.

TFS
Steve

[Andreas Liedmann]

Cool shot Dorian ... and i really have no idea why you cropped in that much .
The original is way better on all counts !!!!! IMHO .

TFS Andreas

[Dorian Anderson]

Interesting that no one minds the OOF sprouting plant! I love the color it lends, I just didn't think it was worth including because it looks haphazard, being OOF and all.

Here's how I might render the wider view which you all have kindly suggested. Steve, I'm not willing to desat the bird to get more detail. It rips the soul out of this
species. I've not added and sat or vib to this newer version (I added a touch of both to the previous).

Lifted the shadows under the individual vies. Also tamed a few highlights.

Shown as 16x10

[Steve Kaluski]

Steve, I'm not willing to desat the bird to get more detail. It rips the soul out of this species. I've not added and sat or vib to this newer version (I added a touch of both to the previous).

Dorian, I didn't say that, you can retain the vibrance and impact, still leaving more detail to extract, but the OP is too limiting to have sufficient data to work with, but you have answered my thoughts in your RP. Interesting, I had gone 10x16, but felt folk would find the wood to dominate.

[Bill Dix]

Pane #6 is just right for me. I like the crop, the great pose; and you've retained the rich yellow that makes this species so special.