I prefer not to if possible. I already spend enough time in front of a computer and cloning or masking done well can be a little time consuming (at least for me).
I'm always thinking of you guys and gals (Al and Gus make sure I can't forget:)) and while I was out this morning I did a stick removal the old fashion way. I hid it behind my subject.
It is up to you to do the "geometry". Moving a few degrees left, right, up or down can make a world of difference.
These images are only used as examples. I photographed them at the end of my morning and had to compress the heck out of them. So the quality is not great, however you will be able to see the difference.
All I had to do was move a few feet to the right.
No enough to affect to light angle, but enough to hide the sticks behind the bird for a "cleaner" presentation.
Hi Mr. Shadle...Happy Belated New Year...:D
As photographers, we should be able to find the best angles by moving around and looking at both the background and foreground elements when composing in camera, before squeezing the shutter...many times we are not so fortunate as to have this choice, and many a time we do and can move around...I agree on finding the best compositional angle possible at the time of capture....however in the first example, I would cast my vote to clone the branches out...:cool:
Tahnks for posting James. PP'n can and often is a time consuming part of photography. Certainly as I gain experience I get a better idea of trying for better captures and getting rid of the clutter or poles sticking out of a head or two.
In this case and assuming I only had the two photos, I would clone out the branches becasue the bird is more attractive. I appreciate the advice though.
Dave
I guess I did not make myself clear.
Both of those images would have been deleted if not for using them as examples.
The first image is a better pose, however I just wanted to show that distracting elements can be eliminated "in camera". It does not need always to be "post shutter".
This is eager to learn. I learned that when posting examples they need to be near identical in composition.
The lesson I learned will help me become a better teacher and workshop conductor!
The lesson is a good one. The first step in bird photography is getting the bird in the frame and in focus. Next comes exposure. Once you've got all that down you start thinking about BG; it turns out that what's behind the bird has a lot to do with the overall strength of an image.
To clone or not to clone-
