I realize I accidentally cut off part of the wing when I took the shot, but since this is "eager to learn," I am eager to learn how i can improve my technique (this was my first effort at birds in flight)-- This was in Ushuaia last December.
I'm particularly interested in comments about sharpening (smart sharpen, I hear, works better on feathers?), background, and contrast. . .
Thanks again in advance.
Canon EOS XTi, 100-400mm IS USM, f/5.6, 1/2000, ISO 400
Good looking bird Sandra.
I like the nice sharp details and contrast.
I think you hit the nail on the head about the clipped wingtip. A bit of a zoom out if possible would also have added a bit of room out front.
As far as sharpening, I am still learning as well. I can tell you that as I become more consistent in the field, I am finding that a nice simple procedure that I can always use works fine for me. Also, I use USM.
Hi Sandra, I too have my share of clipped wings. You have to be vigilant to avoid that, and you'll get better with practice. The fan tail is a plus, but the bent wings, especially the upper one, are a negative. It's a good thing you can add more in front so the bird has some space to "fly" into. We're all learning here, so just practice, practice.
really love the feeling of movement in the background - and the sharpness and gorgeous colors in the bird - wonderful capture. I wonder why the bent wings are a negative - they give such a feeling of gliding
Hi Sandra - think I would have gone with a horizontal here - would have solved the problem with the clipped wing and also provided a little more room for him to fly into up front.
There are articles in the educational resources forum about sharpening - I use a number of different methods depending on the subject - I do most of it in Genuine Fractals with Noel Carboni's actions , whatever you do make sure you do your sharpening on a seperate layer - that way you can adjust it later if need be - also should be the last step as sharpening is dependant on what you are doing with the image - sharpening for the web will be different to sharpening to print!
Dont know if you can see the difference - over sharpened it a little so that it stands out a bit more.
Last edited by Lance Peters; 08-06-2010 at 10:58 PM.
Hi Sandra You did well on this one just the clipped wing !!! I like the re post by Lance, does look sharper !!
Sharpening wise I use smart sharpening but my settings are a bit different since I also use capture sharpening in LR and some selective sharpening in PS ... so don't need much for output. Do check the setting for radius, mine is set at .2 Would suggest starting at .3 and see how it goes !!!
The original is horizontal, so I actually do have more room in front. I've not had a chance to rework the image--and not sure I could do better than Lance
Oh, and also, Ricardo made a point about "bent wings" being a negative. Pat asked why they are a negative--and my addition, especially with a gull (that never have perfectly outstretched wings, is that correct?). Could someone respond to that query?
I'm not questioning anyone's expertise, by any means, I am new and have a lot of questions (Socratic method, you know!). I do not see asking questions as a weakness, but a great strength. So, again, I appreciate your feedback. You are all making me a better photographer and I truly appreciate it.
Tierra del Fuego
Posting Permissions
