5Dmk2, 300mm 2.8, 1.4tc,
f.6.3, 1/4000, +.33, ISO 800
cropped, gradient filter sky, selective sharpening of bird to avoid halos, BG noise reduction Neat Image, burned top of branch above bird to reduce brightness.
Joe
I haven't seen many images of this species. Where did you make it? The sharpness and perch look very nice, I might crop a bit off the left, desaturate the sky a bit. I'm not sure why the upper part of the sky looks darker than the rest. Maybe there are some more details in the blacks. Do you have some in this series with the head parallel to the sensor?
Hi Axel, I took the shot at Gilbert Ray Park west of Tucson AZ. The upper part of the sky is darker because I applied a graduated filter. My attempt to make a plain blue morning sky more natural/interesting. Because these birds are so black I hesitated trying to lighten it to bring out more detail. Yes, I have a shot with the bird looking the other direction but I thought this pose more interesting. Maybe I'll post the other post tomorrow.
Did you get to see the Phainopepla that spent lots of time in Brampton last winter? (For those who don't know, Ontario is way out of range for this species and it caused alot of hoopla among the birding community:eek:)
Thanks for the comments. No Daniel I was not aware there was a Plainopepla in Brampton.
What do you think of this version of the shot.
I attempted to bring out more details in blacks but I feel it distracts from the image because you do not see a lot of detail these coal black birds. In fact with the light shinning on it the way it is you see more detail than normal. Any suggestions how you could show more detail without loosing their characteristic colour?
Hi Joe, I see you used a +EC to bring out the detail in camera. Easier said than done, but sometimes if the species are readily common, I experiment with different exposure compensations, then when the time arises on another occasion, you know what to dial in for that particular species. In this, the light has helped, and wonder if you had dialled in +.67, if it would have helped any more. I agree moving in from the left.
Joe, if you think that it looks better as shot, then leave it as is! But normally we want to see detail in the darker areas as well. Beautiful bird, love that red eye!
This is interesting. I must be seeing this image different than others. I see quite a bit of detail in the blacks. Even more so in my re-post. I see detail in the tail, most of the wing and the back/comb of the head. There are a couple of areas around his neck and below his wing where there is very little detail. I have a calibrated 27" iMac. Is my calibration off and my monitor too bright?