Pileated with chicks

[Charles Glatzer]

This image is copyrighted material as indicated, and is watermarked! Unauthorized use or reproduction for any reason is prohibited

Loons and More MI 06/'09

We were extremely fortunate to have good access to this pair of nesting pileated woodpeckers w/ three chicks.
The adults would come in on average once every hour. We certainly paid our dues, but were rewarded with ample opportunity and stunning images.

1Ds Mark III, 600IS from tree stand
Manual metering/manual flash, 1/320 @ f/8, ISO 400
Post-production- LR2, CS4

See you where there is light, or at the computer

Best,

Chas

[Randy Stout]

Chas:

I had a family in my back yard last year, and have fond memories of many hours sitting out watching them mature.

Nice angle here, both re: shooting angle up to the birds, and the view angle in relationship to the nest hole.
Well exposed and sharp.

I haven't seen them nesting in a beech tree before, in that part of Michigan, they are pretty common as one of the main components of the climax forest.

Thanks for sharing. I look forward to seeing more.

How were the loons this year?

Randy

[Rod Wiley]

Very nice work, great timing

[Ákos Lumnitzer]

THis is an exceptional image Charles. I love the chicks screaming for food (especially the bottom one). And all details are super sharp and exposure perfect. Congratulations. :)

[Joe Senzatimore]

It's nothing if not MAGNIFICENT!!!!!

[Axel Hildebrandt]

Pretty cool moment captured, I might sharpen a bit less and lighten the eyes of the juvenile birds.

[Juan Carlos Vindas]

Great looking family.
Love the clarity and details.

[Arthur Morris]

I like the soft light, the three perfect head angles, and the subdued look to the processing.

[Harshad Barve]

what a beauty
Great stuff

Harshad

[Jackie Schuknecht]

Lovely image and I agree with Axel on a little less sharpening and Artie's comment about the subdued PP. Neat how the chicks heads seem orange compared to the deeper red of the adult.

[Charles Glatzer]

Jackie,
Curious as to what res your monitor is set?
2560 x 1600 pixels (optimum resolution)
2048 x 1280
1920 x 1200

Artie,
What does subdued processing mean? I strive for a natural realistic look with all my images. The background is primarily another beech tree with very slight separation between the two trees. Proper placement of the tree stand was critical to the image in many ways.

Chas

[Jackie Schuknecht]

1280 x 1024. Guess I just have a cheapie monitor and this would make it look oversharpened????

[Charles Glatzer]

1280 x 1024. Guess I just have a cheapie monitor and this would make it look oversharpened????

;)

Best,

Chas

[Jory Griesman]

OK, now I'm confused. I thought I had a good understanding of monitor resolution, but the values you give, Chas, are well above what most good LCD's will give. In fact, the lowest of your resolutions is what a high quality Eizo will give, and the 2560x1600 is higher than the highest quality diagnostic imaging montors costing $10,000. What am I missing?

[Grace Scalzo]

Looks perfect to me, and most of all, it tells a story. :)

[Aidan Briggs]

Great light, head angles, and exposure. I love the interaction here too.

[Axel Hildebrandt]

Jackie,
Curious as to what res your monitor is set?
2560 x 1600 pixels (optimum resolution)
2048 x 1280
1920 x 1200



Chas

It's not just the resolution, you would have to take the monitor size into consideration as well. I don't understand what you mean by 'optimum resolution'.

[Charles Glatzer]

It's not just the resolution, you would have to take the monitor size into consideration as well. I don't understand what you mean by 'optimum resolution'.

http://store.apple.com/us/product/M9179LL/A

Highest res on 30 inch Apple Cinema HD is 2560 x 1600 and Dell 24 inch is 1920 x 1200

My point being...image sharpness is dificult to critique on the web unless we are all viewing the images at the same res and monitor size.

Chas

[Mital Patel]

beautiful shot and moment this is. so involved in clarity and moment i cant find any issues with this image :)

[DarrenMcKenna]

nice interaction

[Mark Dumbleton]

Lovely moment captured. Great soft lighting, and sharp detail.

[Stu Bowie]

A great family moment that is well captured. Love the proximity of all three heads, sharp, with good detail. Good job on the blacks, well exposed.

[Bob Malbon]

Perfect! Bob

[Christopher C.M. Cooke]

I am so far from being a competent critique person that I almost feel embarrassed posting here BUT!

I am not impressed by this capture.

I don’t know if PP has had a great deal to do with this image but I find that the birds merge into the background, the faces of the young are not clear and the top beak of the lower one is so much like the background as to be indistinct.

The body of the adult once again does not contrast with the tree and is also indistinct.

Would have a fill flash have helped?

Of three eyes all are also not clear, and to a person who knows little of this bird I don’t find it all that interesting as though the adult is obviously trying to feed the young there is no food evident.

[Charles Glatzer]

Chris,

It appears your monitor is not calibrated properly. When was the last time you did this and with what device? Can you clearly see all the tones in the monitor calibration strip at the very bottom of this page? I use Color Eyes Pro w/ DTP-94 monthly. Flash was used as per the info provided.

Best,

Chas

I am so far from being a competent critique person that I almost feel embarrassed posting here BUT!

I am not impressed by this capture.

I don’t know if PP has had a great deal to do with this image but I find that the birds merge into the background, the faces of the young are not clear and the top beak of the lower one is so much like the background as to be indistinct.

The body of the adult once again does not contrast with the tree and is also indistinct.

Would have a fill flash have helped?

Of three eyes all are also not clear, and to a person who knows little of this bird I don’t find it all that interesting as though the adult is obviously trying to feed the young there is no food evident.

[Blake Shadle]

Well at least we know everyone is having hardware issues except for you Chas ;) Very nice image, the interaction and moment captured couldn't be better. There is a white line running along the neck of the adult Pileated and a dark line around the beak of the topmost juvenile which are typically an indication of oversharpening.

Wouldn't this image be the size of a triscuit cracker at 2560 x 1600?

[Charles Glatzer]

Blake,

Wouldn't this image be the size of a triscuit cracker at 2560 x 1600
Not if you hit Ctrl alt 0 when viewing the image.

There is a white line running along the neck of the adult Pileated and a dark line around the beak of the topmost juvenile which are typically an indication of oversharpening.

You are correct...did not see these, those areas do appear a bit over the top. Thanks.


Does the image appear to you otherwise as described by C. Cooke?


Chas

[Alfred Forns]

In my opinion its one stunning image as presented !!! Finding a nest at eye level must be a sensory overload !!! Big Congrats !!!!!!

[Blake Shadle]

Blake,
Does the image appear to you otherwise as described by C. Cooke?


Chas

Not in my opinion. It's a fine image as I stated in my comment.

[John Chardine]

1280 x 1024. Guess I just have a cheapie monitor and this would make it look oversharpened????

No Jackie, your monitor is fine. The image in question is 498 x 758 pixels and you will see the whole image on your monitor at 100%, pixel for pixel, because that is the way BPN displays images. Your graphics card and monitor is neither upsizing or downsizing the image (so long as your graphics card is set to send out the native resolution of your monitor). What you are seeing is what was posted.

[Nagesh Mula]

In my opinion its one stunning image as presented !!! Finding a nest at eye level must be a sensory overload !!! Big Congrats !!!!!!

I too agree with Alfred Forns here. Its a beautiful image and the interaction is well captured. Congratulations!!

[Jay Gould]

Chas, it is a wonderful and beautiful image, and anywhere else on any other Forum you would not be subjected to the CONSTRUCTIVE educational criticisms that occur on BPN.

I play on other bird forums in Australia; I can tell you without a doubt that this image posted on one of those forums would simply be described in glowing terms. Here, however, the bar has been raised IMHO to the highest heights reasonably obtainable.

While I haven't posted many images, I have learned so much from all of the participants here on BPN; I look forward that education during my trip to South America. If there was a world wide survey for the most supportive and educational site, BPN wins hands down.

Having said that, my monitor is calibrated to 1920 x 1200 and "yes" I calibrate it regularly and "yes" I can see each and every box in the calibration strip.

I have never sharpened an image outside of playing in LR; next step PS and some of the plug-ins.

However, when I look at the orange tufts on the children, especially the top child, it appears to me to be slightly stiff and brittle - almost like plastic - when compared to the body feathers of the parent. Also, as pointed out, the outline on the top child's beak give is a pasted feeling.

Please don't misunderstand, I/We love the image and your ability to capture the image. You just happen to be posting on the most presentation educationally critical all encompassing site on the internet - and that is said as a positive statement about BPN.

The head angles are perfect; the sharpening police are out for a play ;)

[Charles Glatzer]

Jay,

No worries. I am fair game as well as anyone :)

But, I do wonder how much time people spend on the images they post here.

Warmest Regards,

Chas

[Jory Griesman]

Hi, Chas. When you "wonder how much time people spend on the images they post here", are you implying they/we spend too much time in LR and PS, or not enough?

[Ed Erkes]

I think this is an Amazing image!!! One of the best Pileated Woodpecker images I've seen! I honestly can't find anything to criticize about this one!

[Charles Glatzer]

Hi, Chas. When you "wonder how much time people spend on the images they post here", are you implying they/we spend too much time in LR and PS, or not enough?

No implications either way, curious is all.

Chas

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hey Chas,
This is just sweet! super capture.....looks great to me on this end.

[Desmond Chan]

I like the 3D feel of this photo...the tones, the colors !

[Roger Clark]

A note about monitors. Different monitors have different high spatial frequency response (i.e. the pixel to pixel response). For example, CRTs have low response from pixel to pixel, so if one does their processing on a CRT, the images will likely look over sharpened on most LCDs. Even among LCD there are variations in response.

Chas, your image looks great on my laptop, but i would brighten the eyes a little, especially on the young ones.

Roger

[Adams Serra]

Well exposed, nice composition,beautiful subjects and it tells a story.

Adams

[James Shadle]

Jay,

No worries. I am fair game as well as anyone :)

But, I do wonder how much time people spend on the images they post here.

Warmest Regards,

Chas

I don't think I understand the question.
Do you wonder how long a member spends post processing an image to post, or the total time including posting and replying?
James

[Ákos Lumnitzer]

Please don't take my question the wrong way as I intend on not being critical Charles, but it would also be nice to know how much time (and more importantly what steps) you spend (carry out) in post processing of say THIS image. After all I feel most people would love to know your methods. :)

Typing: Post-production- LR2, CS4 is quite vague. :)

[Jay Gould]

Jay,

No worries. I am fair game as well as anyone :)

But, I do wonder how much time people spend on the images they post here.

Warmest Regards,

Chas

Hi Chas, I have been think further about this thread and frankly if I had posted this image it would not have generated the high level of detailed criticism that it has generated.

Why? Because you are a consummate professional; I am a newbie. There are expectations when you post an image, or Don, or Roger, and even Artie, et cetera that are not applied to newbies.

If professionals amongst themselves are not hypercritical on an educational site such as BPN, professionals would never know to raise their own bar.

Hopefully, in the future, I too will raise my bar and be subjected to more rigorous criticism than occurs, for example, in the ETL forum.

Keep 'em coming Mate, we all appreciate what you produce.

Cheers, Jay

[Blake Shadle]

I'm averaging < 5 minutes in post processing lately. If it takes longer than that I put it away for a rainy day.

[Charles Glatzer]

Please don't take my question the wrong way as I intend on not being critical Charles, but it would also be nice to know how much time (and more importantly what steps) you spend (carry out) in post processing of say THIS image. After all I feel most people would love to know your methods. :)

Typing: Post-production- LR2, CS4 is quite vague. :)

I spend 8 1/2 months on location each year teaching, my time at home with family is most valued. A "partner" and I started the first Nature Magazine Forum on the web many years ago. I have given freely all that I know and will continue in that process as time allows.

I strive to get the images right in camera, and I am not a big proponent of adding/removing elements with the frame. The image above was slightly tweaked in lightroom and CS, thereafter I apply a generic horz/vert web action that includes resizing, creative edge mask and high-pass sharpening, copyright, drop shadow, and un-flattened conversion to sRGB. Total time is less than 5 minutes. While I strive for perfection in all that I do, I simply do not enlarge and overtly scrutinize every image I post in this or other forums to the nth degree, hence you may find slight jpeg artifacts, small halos, whatever in images. I am more concerned with stimulating creativity, helping people to understand photo fundamentals and exposure theory, etc.

Jay,

I continue to learn daily ;)

Warmest Regards to all,

Chas

[c.w. moynihan]

It is a dream of mine to get an image like this of this species. Fantastic in all regards Chas !

[Ramon M. Casares]

Lovely moment, great poses, cute atitudes, lovely light, exposure and detail. Congratulations!

[Jory Griesman]

Wheww! This has been an interesting thread, perhaps crystallizing what I believe this forum is about. Sorry for the longwindedness.

Firstly, great image Chas, in all respects. Please correct me, dear publishers, but I believe the raison d'etre of this site is to come up with whatever in camera and post-shutter/processing advice/tips our cohorts and mentors can offer. This obviously includes praise, with criticism I believe only meant to provide thinking points when out in the field next time, or sitting at the computer. I have, in the past, been annoyed with what appears to be colleagues using an electron microscope to find sharpening halos or color noise (not in my images, of course), but have come to realize it's just to help the participants of this forum to improve. That is, I believe this is entirely constructive, and not destructive, criticism, but likely goes beyond the gestalt of an image that perhaps other sites concentrate upon.

[Ákos Lumnitzer]

Thank you Charles for taking the time. I appreciate your feedback! :)

[Charles Glatzer]

Jory,

See my reply at the bottom of this post.

http://www.birdphotographers.net/for...ad.php?t=38941

BTW- the crest color as posted appears a bit orange and should be altered to be more red. You guys are slipping ;)

Warmest Regards to all,

Chas

Wheww! This has been an interesting thread, perhaps crystallizing what I believe this forum is about. Sorry for the longwindedness.

Firstly, great image Chas, in all respects. Please correct me, dear publishers, but I believe the raison d'etre of this site is to come up with whatever in camera and post-shutter/processing advice/tips our cohorts and mentors can offer. This obviously includes praise, with criticism I believe only meant to provide thinking points when out in the field next time, or sitting at the computer. I have, in the past, been annoyed with what appears to be colleagues using an electron microscope to find sharpening halos or color noise (not in my images, of course), but have come to realize it's just to help the participants of this forum to improve. That is, I believe this is entirely constructive, and not destructive, criticism, but likely goes beyond the gestalt of an image that perhaps other sites concentrate upon.