SonyA700~Sony70-400G@400mm~ISO500~F7.1~1/1600 sec~manual exposure~11-6-2009~Brays Bayou, Houston, Texas~CS4/Topaz Adjust3(small detail preset)/Topaz Clean2
sub-adult, from observing this birds behavior, after seeing this guy for at least a month inhabiting the same area, I would surmise this is a Black-crowned Night Heron. Gradient applied to background.
comments and critique welcomed. regards~Bill
I really appreciate the nice comments! There were comments about noise appearing under the wing, and this I too was aware off. Topaz Adjust doesn't necessarily create noise, but if it is present it will be magnified. Noise reduction software, and believe me I have more than one type, invariably reduces detail. Sometimes this loss of detail is acceptable, sometimes not. In this image, to me at least, the loss of detail noise reduction would cause was not acceptable.
The practice of overexposing while taking photographs, trying to not blow out the whites, is an excellent method of reducing noise in the finished image. In low contrast situations(non-direct light that occurs with overcast weather for example) this works very well. However, in high contrast lighting (direct sunlight for example) there is little leeway, and even modest overexposure can blow the whites, and dark areas of the image will contain noise. The higher the ISO, the more noise, as we all know. I could have reduced the shutter speed, and the DOF, and used a lower ISO, but either of these would have effected image sharpness of a bird in flight.
Specifically with this image; it was shot under direct morning sunlight. I could not overexpose and was left with noise under the wing. However, I was surprised that a considerable amount of detail remained. regards~Bill
Night Heron Flight Capture
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