1/1600 at F6.3 and ISO 400
Bigma at 500m
Canon 40D
This picture offers a lot but is missing a component. I like the colors and uncluttered background. The bird appears sharp and is doing something,
But I did not get a catch light. What is the general feeling about a bird picture like this. Is it a throw out? Would you add a catchlight to the Verdin's eye?
There are tutorials telling me how to add the catch light. But, I am not sure if I should add anything to a nature photo. On the surface, it just does not feel right to add features.
Scott to add catch-light or not is completely up to you, but before you say there isn't any catch-light blow the image up and take a good look at the eye. Sometimes you will see just a hint of one that just needs a bit of 'help', not adding just accentuating:)
Hi Scott,
I like your composition and capture...agree with Nonda...enlarge your image and peek in...the only thing that I recommend for you to do is to lighten the eye just a tad, not too much and selective sharpen...the rest is a go...congrats on a very fine composition...looking forward to your next one...:cool:
Hi Scott without a catchlight the eye is sort of dead?
I'm not much into manipulating and like things natural but can't see how adding a catchlight would be adding something to nature? Using fill flash would give you the catchlight ... sort of like PS in camera.
Scott, this is a fine image and I agree that there is likely to be some light in the eye if you look closely. We all have to decide for ourselves where to draw the line on PP alterations but I don't think a catchlight enhancement is much of a big deal. I have found that using flash (an ethics decision in itself) often results in two catchlights and I have learned to remove one of them depending on what looks more realistic. Take a real close look at that eye and see what you think!
It might be interesting to have an assignment on this forum to post images that have not been touched at all, including cropping. What do you think Al?
Hi Scott - like the image a lot - BG is good - exposure looks good.
Whether to add a catchlight or not depends on your personal ethics and what you are trying to achieve, if you are after a good looking photo to print and hang on your wall - well maybe you might like to enhance it.
On the other hand if you are trying to improve your photography with a view to enetrinng competitions - its a different matter - virtually NO work of this king is allowed - the work that is allowed is restricted to the sort of things you could achieve in a darkroom with film.
A flash would create a mere pinpoint of a catchlight, and it looks un-natural anyway, and a quick spot-healing brush tool could remove it in short order. The lack of a catchlight, IMO, is a major problem. Although small, it is very important in giving "life" to the image. I've noticed images taken on cloudy, low contrast situations, pracitically always show catchlights, though somewhat less than under bright conditions. The quality of the optics used to capture the image is also important: with any loss of the acuity of sharp focus the catchlight is one of the first things to go, even though overall sharpness seems OK.
Post processing: it is my opinion that enhancing a catchlight is perfectly appropriate, just as selective sharpening, or any number of other techniques can be used to improve digital images. Adding a catchlight, where there is none, is much more difficult than you would suppose. It's postion is rather complicated, based on the curvature of the eye, and how ambient and direct light interact with it. It has to conform precisely to these variables or it will look "fake". Best to enhace the existing catchlight and get the critical position correct. Hope I've been helpful~Bill
Missing Catch Light
