This is my favoritbird in Australia besides the Kokaburra... Sometimes when I was mustering in Kimberley-region they where flying over us and I always felt a sence of freedom... They are very spectacular and the image you show is bringing good memories to me... I thank you for that...
About the picture I think it is very nice they have just about exactly the same pose and it is very nice they are different colored...
Amazing capture !
It's hard enough to get one bird that close, but here you have managed to frame two in the same posture !!!
Technically, this is interesting to see you have successfully used a MF lens on your D70 (exposure wise as you don't have auto metering with this combo).
Last week, I was about to buy this lens with TCx1.4 (used)...
Are you happy with this long tele ?
Very cool image! The near symmetry is what really works for me. The left bird, in particular shows good eye contact and picked up the light quite well. I agree that some sharpening will improve it even more.
Fantastic timing Tony. This image is like a field guide plate showing both sexes in the same pose. My only sugestion is about the cropping being too tight, I think that some more room at the left would improve the composition. Love it.
Thanks for the positve comments.
I agree the cropping is a little tight on the left.
Sharpening the whole image seems to oversharpen the female (left) and over emphasises the tiny dots around the head. I should improve my PS skills and learn to use selecftive sharpening!
Tony, I've become a devotee of the magic wand tool. Because there is very little variation in the sky, what you can do is select the sky and the tool will probably grab just it. Then, click on Select / Inverse (you want to select the birds for sharpening, not the sky). It will not select the spaces on the "inside" of the subject (e.g. the sky between the right bird's wing and the perch); right click in that area and click "Add to Selection." Next step is to click on Select / Modify and use the number 1 or 2. This will take your selection slightly inside the bird. Your sharpening will then be applied inside the border of your subject and avoid the dreaded sharpening halo.
Another method is using the lasso tool and draw along the borders of your subject and following with the Select / Modify step to avoid the sharpening halo. I don't have a steady hand so I prefer the magic wand.
I tried this with your image. The one snag, so to speak, is the perch will also be selected. You can deselect the perch by right clicking and choosing "Subtract from Selection." This tends to be painstaking but with practice, can work like a charm! Now, the caveat: if one of the PS experts has a simpler way of doing this, I'm all ears. :D
Thanks for the info. I will practice with the lasso tool as I would like to sharpen both birds but each to a different degree.
I am going away for a few days in the bush so it will have to wait for my return.
This is an absolute killer image for me Tony...great light, BG, birds, and the poses are awesome. Agree on slightly more sharpening, but it's minor...top stuff!
After the Rain
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