Sanderling
I believe this is a Sanderling. The image was captured during a trip to Jekyl Island, Ga. over Thanksgiving weekend. Jekyl is a wonderful place to photograph shorebirds of many species.
I like this image but wonder about including the entire reflection. Should there be more/less and should there be more space at the top of the bird? Please comment on the overall composition.
Canon Digital Rebel XT
Canon 300mm f/4L IS (at 420mm)
Shutter speed: 1/500
Aperture: f/8
Natural light.
The more expert among us may disagree, Roger, but I like your composition as you created it. Nice detail too, I think. You might use curves to add a little more contrast and USM for a small bit of increased sharpness.
Hi Roger,
I really like the water ripples and the bird. Agree with Anita about the USM
Hi Roger! First on the ID front, this actually isn't a Sanderling but it is a sandpiper species. To me it looks like a Least Sandpiper due to the green/yellowish legs that are just barely visible. I agree that some more contrast (I'd add it with a Level or Curves layer) would improve this image. Compositionally, reflections can often be difficult to work with as they can easily unbalance an image when we try to keep them in the frame. In a case like this where the reflection is fairly diffuse, I don't think I would have worked too hard to keep it in the image. For me the ripples are a more interesting portion of the image. With a lower angle (I'm on my belly for small shorebirds like this) I think you could have created a very balanced image that kept the ripples and some of the reflection color. Nothing wrong with what you have here, just wanted to provide some thoughts for future exploration!
Best,
-Judd
Thanks for the comments - very helpful. I have Photoshop Elements 5. I haven't used curves or layers as yet but will experiment. Elements provides sharpening in the editiing modes but I'm unfamiliar with USM. Can someone explain??
roger
USM = unsharp mask (sharpening). Post your revision!
Thanks, Anita. I've sharpened the image, added contrast and reformatted it. But, (I feel like such a dunce) I don't know how to repost it without starting a new thread. I found the "insert image" icon above but it requires the URL. How do I get that?? I appreciate any and all help. This is a great site for learners.
roger
Umm....I don't know how either, Roger....maybe someone will come along and let us know....?Originally Posted by Roger Williams
Shorebird
Here's a repost of the shorebird. I sharpened the image using the Adjust Sharpness feaature in Photoshop Elements 5. The manual I have said it yielded better results than the Unsharp Mask tool. I also increased the contrast a bit and reformated the image, retaining the reflection but providing more room for the bird. Comments?
This is better. I used to use Elements 4.0 which I suspect is similar. Two suggestions. Go to "enhance" and use auto levels option till you get more comfortable dialiing it in yourself. Auto levels often gets a good result. If you have an option for auto curves, try that as well and see if you like the results. To sharpen: Go to "layers" on the top option bar and choose "new" then "via a copy". Then go to the right side of the screen where it says layers and there will be an option box that probably says "normal" click on that and choose "luminosity". then go to sharpen and choose unsharpen mask. I had my radius set to 1.6 and threshold to 0. then slide the amount to where it looks good to you. This way it tends to sharpen the areas that need it moret then those that don't without it looking too oversharpened. I know that PS is quite a learning curve. I moved up to cs2 and feel like I'll be learnig till I'm very old and grey. Hope this helps. I know that I would need someone to really spell it out to "get it". If it sounds like gobbaly gook don't worry about it. Just keep at it and it will come together.
Thanks for the ideas, Tom.
roger
The bird is indeed an adult Least Sandpiper in winter plumage.
later and love,
artie
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