Spoonie Portrait

[Troy Lim]

Spoonie is one of my favorite birds to shoot, here is another spoonie portrait. I was not sure what I was thinking, but f4 in this case worked. What do you think?
Comments and critiques are always welcome. It is the only way to learn and tweaking my skills. Don't be shy.





Manual Metering
Camera: Nikon D700
Exposure: 0.001 sec (1/1600)
Aperture: f/4.0
Focal Length: 330 mm
ISO Speed: 400
Exposure Bias: -1/3 EV
Flash: No Flash

[Bob Decker]

Handsome bird, Troy. The dark background really makes the subject stand out. Crisp, sharp eye. Good detail in those light colors. Good job. I might be tempted to try a vertical crop/portrait orientation, eliminating much of the body as an alternate presentation.

[Troy Lim]

Handsome bird, Troy. The dark background really makes the subject stand out. Crisp, sharp eye. Good detail in those light colors. Good job. I might be tempted to try a vertical crop/portrait orientation, eliminating much of the body as an alternate presentation.

Bob,

I tried portrait crop first and didn't like it. Let's see your version, maybe it will be better than mine. :)

[Bob Decker]

Bob,

I tried portrait crop first and didn't like it. Let's see your version, maybe it will be better than mine. :)

Sure. In addtion to the crop I did some dodging and burning to place emphasis on the subjects face.

[Bob Decker]

And for giggles, here it is with a Golden Spiral and a Thirds grid overlay applied.

[Troy Lim]

And for giggles, here it is with a Golden Spiral and a Thirds grid overlay applied.

Bob, I do like your portrait crop.
I like both crops.

Here is mine grid.

[Alfred Forns]

Hi Troy Both crops are appealing in their own way ... for the tighter one would have a little more room on the left !!!

Main comment I could add is the light angle, would like seeing the head better lit on the left side .. shoud be no problem adjusting in PS :) Excellent image

[Troy Lim]

Hi Troy Both crops are appealing in their own way ... for the tighter one would have a little more room on the left !!!

Main comment I could add is the light angle, would like seeing the head better lit on the left side .. shoud be no problem adjusting in PS :) Excellent image

Al, thank you.
Yes, the sun was on the right side where the bird was positioned. Should I use dodge tool to brighten it up?

[arash_hazeghi]

very nice image, I like the original and excellent comment by Al.

[Troy Lim]

very nice image, I like the original and excellent comment by Al.

Thanks for everyone's help.