Does it work or not and why?

[Desmond Chan]

D300 200-400+1.4TC = 550 on tripod. Manual exposure mode (spot metering), all natural light. ISO 1600 f8 1/640s.

Cropped.

I personally like the overall feel of this photo because of the lighting. I think it's the light that creates the mood of the photo. What say you?





Thank you !!

[Harold Davis]

the lighting is quite nice on this one, desmond, but for me i dont like the busy bg and the shadow across the bird. actually, looking back on it the light looks quite harsh. there is no detail in the bill and the whites look hot too. i like the curvy perch and you got a nice pose too. maybe you could clean it up?

[Alfred Forns]

Hi Desmond I see what you were trying to do

I think the bright looking bird is detracting fro the overall mood you are trying to create? Not a fan of this one but art is all about taste !!!

[Gus Cobos]

Hi Desmond,
The background is a wee bit to cluttered...especially the branch going through the head...you were fighting against the mixed lighting...I would keep this as a good record capture...looking forward to your next one...:cool:

[Jeff Cashdollar]

Desmond,

I like habitat shots, this is interesting in that regard. Not a big fan of mixed light and shadows on the main subject. But, everyone has their own voice and it does tell a story.
What did you spot meter on: head, neck or body?

[Desmond Chan]

Desmond,

I like habitat shots, this is interesting in that regard. Not a big fan of mixed light and shadows on the main subject. But, everyone has their own voice and it does tell a story.
What did you spot meter on: head, neck or body?

This hummer was quite far away so my spot metering spot itself pretty much covered a large part of the bird.

Could some of you tell me why you don't like mixed light and shadows?

The reason I ask is we pretty much see many photos, people portraits, etc that are under mixed light, with big shadow as part of the composition sometimes. But when it comes to bird photos, the nearly instant response seems to be: "mixed light doesn't work." I have been wondering why. So, anybody can shed some light on that? :)

[Jeff Cashdollar]

Desmond,

Regarding the spot meter, that's what I thought. I was thinking given the scene (what I can see in the image) looks kinda mid-tone; I was theorizing if eval would do a better job?

Regarding shadows, I can only give you my view. When ever something crosses the subjects body it pulls my eye to that patch and competes for attention. When I see effective use of shadows they usually do not intersect with the subject's body, especially one this small (consider the scale coverage %'s). Again, this is only my feel. In certain habitat shots maybe it should be more widely accepted. Maybe you can build energy around this method. You captured a great moment in life. I believe birds have faiths and destinies too. The intersecting shadow was my main nit, so it goes.

[Lance Peters]

Hi Desmond - agree with the above comments - the perch coming out of the head is a wee bit distracting.
Cant say Im a fan of mixed light, have not yet seen a bird shot that works really well in mixed light - I do understand what you are trying to do - In regards to a cool portrait image that is really well lit on one side only maybe to give it a definite feel. Maybe a mini studio setup with a feeder might yield some opportunities.

Keep experimenting :)

[Alfred Forns]

Hi Desmond

Mixed light does not seem to work for birds .... why? I have no clue. Best I can tell it is not dramatic or plain does not look good.

I think the ones that work are different images with deep shadows, lots of lines or plane bg etc. The hummer is totally different !!!

[Harold Davis]

my thinking seems a little different. take for instance a portrait that has shadows. those shadows are normally created by a feature of the person being photographed. side light is not uncommon in portraits and that would leave a shadow on the darkside of the nose, etc. i think that is accepted in that genre and even in wildlife images. i think charles glatzer uses side light in some of his images and it seems to work there. but a shadow created by an outside object, in your case being a tree limb, maybe doesnt work in the same way.

hope i wasnt too long winded. wanted to be thorough.

[Desmond Chan]

I was theorizing if eval would do a better job?

Yes, I suppose, if you could zoom in enough, take a reading, then zoom back out to compose and shoot using manual exposure mode. In my case, that couldn't happen because the bird was too far for that to happen.

The intersecting shadow was my main nit, so it goes.

I knew about that shadow :)

[Desmond Chan]

my thinking seems a little different. take for instance a portrait that has shadows. those shadows are normally created by a feature of the person being photographed. side light is not uncommon in portraits and that would leave a shadow on the darkside of the nose, etc. i think that is accepted in that genre and even in wildlife images.

But why not bird photos though? That's what I want to figure out since side light shows texture better. The shadows resulting from the side light also helps bring out the 3-D of the subject better. And I suppose we all know what people say about using direct flash mounted on the hot shoe of the camera :)

but a shadow created by an outside object, in your case being a tree limb, maybe doesnt work in the same way.

I knew about that shadow :) What I primarily wanted to find out from this photo was how other thought about the lighting condition in this photograph.

Thanks for the inputs, everyone !!

[Harold Davis]

i think sidelight works in some situations, desmond. i wouldnt rule it out at all.