What I like: The color on the eye is great. The pose is pretty good. The background isn't bad.
I feel like the curves of this one could use some work. Black down, white up, if you know what I mean. I'd do it and repost, the problem is it causes more problems, specifically the tree it's sitting on blows out (or gets real close) and the underside of the wing closest to us goes black.
The second bird does not add much at all. If there was more of it and we were seeing an interaction it wouldn't be bad at all. I think I would have dropped my ISO a little and gone down to about f/8 to blur the background a little more.
I like the pose and the location. I like the 2nd bird, because that's the interaction, but I'd like to see a wider crop. Yes, it needs contrast added, and I'd take the brush and tame down the bright spots on the log.
I think a monopod or tripod would be helpful to get the detail level up.
Hi - Second bird blends too much with the perch to warrant inclusion - IMHO.
Would try setting a black and white point to start with needs a bit more oomph - you can mask the log out and adjust it on a separate layer.
Watch your light angle - make sure you have your hood on your lens - without it will rob you of contrast.
Quite like the painterly feel to the BG.
Keep em coming :)
Excellent comments and much appreciated !! Great points !!
Agree that there is not enough of the second bird, would like seeing more !! Wing position for the first sure looks good !! ... try looking for the light angle to light up the bird well ... if possible with more frontal light the birds wings would have looked different !! Still is a very good image !!!
I would go ahead an clone out the second bird, there's just too little there, and rely on the viewer to imagine something out of the frame that the bird is mad at!
Bright high contrast light, as shown by the uneven lighting on the bird, its shadow, the large difference in luminosity of feathers that actually are all roughly the same colors, is a major problem. Most of the light areas seemed somewhat washed out. This lighting is tough, and if that all you've got, you will need to have it fall squarely on the bird, minimizing shadows as much as possible. Overcast or cloudy skies don't produce strong shadows, or even none at all, and this is always preferable.
As far as a lens hood, I rarely use one unless it is misting or raining, and as long as I don't shoot facing the sun it has never presented a problem.But then again, if the sun is out and the sky is blue I don't go take pictures- just way too low a keeper rate!! regards~Bill
Last edited by WIlliam Maroldo; 06-17-2010 at 10:27 PM.
Thanks all for comments and advice. The problem with living in Phoenix is that we have >320 of sunshine per year :) I wouldn't get much shooting done if I NEVER shot in sunshine (yes, I know, grab those half hours right at sunrise and sunset ... ) Actually, this was shot about 1 hour after sunrise.
Ian, Agree with Bill's comments about lighting. There have been many days that I would only shoot for 1 1/2-2 hrs in the morning and similarly later in the day when full sun is present. Otherwise I'll have images that are harsh and unappealing to me. Days that are cloudy and have filtered light can extend that time period.
Also light angle to your subject is very important and should be noted.
These points are not difficult but can separate an average image from one that has great impact...
Ian, I can certainly sympathize with your plight of over 320 days of sunshine a year. For at least 3 weeks, here on the Texas Gulf Coast, we have had similar weather, or its cloudy, and I travel somewhere to take pictures, there are plenty of birds, and the clouds suddenly disappear!
Have you thought about taking pictures of birds in the shade? The problem is there isn't much light, and you will need to become proficient in high ISO shooting(pushing exposure for example). The light is the exact opposite of high contrast- very soft low contrast, and in PP you will need to jack the contrast up, but it is still preferable to high contrast direct light. regards~Bill
Neotropic Cormorant
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