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Thread: Grey Wagtail

  1. #1
    Anders Nielsen
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    Default Grey Wagtail

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    This is the result of three days work (about 4 hours each day). On the first day I observed two Grey Wagtails. I noticed that one of them prefered a specific stone and would come there quite often (perhaps once or twice in two hours). I placed my hide 5 meters from the stone and started waiting. The Grey Wagtails weren't really comfortable with the hide the first day (although one of them was close a couple of times). Today they were a bit more comfortable and the other Grey Wagtail perched on the rock for a few seconds a single time. This is the result - the last picture I created. In all this was only my second encounter with a Grey Wagtail.

    I can't decide if the head is turned slightly away. Perhaps someone with greater experience could tell me this and explain what you're looking for (is it the birds neck, beak, eye or something else?)

    Canon EOS 400D
    EF 400mm f/5.6L USM

    1/400, f/5.6, ISO 800, tripod
    Shadow brightened slightly, noisereduction, crop, smartsharpen.

  2. #2
    BPN Member Kirk Benson's Avatar
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    Nice shot, you're patience was rewarded. I really like seeing the wing detail, good color and exposure too. I think the head angle is good, we'll see what Artie says ;-)
    Kirk Benson
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    https://500px.com/kirkb

  3. #3
    Publisher Arthur Morris's Avatar
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    Artie says cool bird, nice rock (the bird needed to perch on top of the rock...), head angle not too bad. The shame is working so hard and then (apparently) getting the EXP wrong; the white flanks look over-exposed and detail-less... With the bright white flanks and everything else relatively middle-dark -1/3 would seem about right. It is a shame that pretty much nobody but me ever notes how the EXP was determined, IOW, what was the metering pattern and the EXP compenstion: telling someone 1/400, f/5.6, ISO 800" is totally meaningless. And I am not just talking about here at BPN, I am talkning about wherever images are shared (including supposedly educational magazines...) Later and love, artie
    BIRDS AS ART Blog: great info and lessons, lots of images with our legendary BAA educational Captions; we will not sell you junk. 30+ years of long lens experience/e-mail with gear questions.

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  4. #4
    Anders Nielsen
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    Thanks a lot for the comments.

    Artie: I guess you're right it might be a bit overexposed. I used evaluative metering at the rock it is perching on (before it came) and set the exposure in manual to -1/3 or -2/3 stops (the meter kept jumping between these two exposures). I have attached a 100% crop of the whites.

  5. #5
    Publisher Arthur Morris's Avatar
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    Looks as if you might be able to save the whites... Is there anything there at 255? If not, you can increase the density. If yes, you can convert it darker...

    later and love, artie
    BIRDS AS ART Blog: great info and lessons, lots of images with our legendary BAA educational Captions; we will not sell you junk. 30+ years of long lens experience/e-mail with gear questions.

    BIRDS AS ART Online Store: we will not sell you junk. 35 years of long lens experience. Please e-mail with gear questions.

    Check out the new SONY e-Guide and videos that I did with Patrick Sparkman here. Ten percent discount for BPN members,

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  6. #6
    Anders Nielsen
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    Thanks a lot Artie. How do I see if there is anything at 255 and what do you mean by increasing the density?

  7. #7
    Publisher Arthur Morris's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Anders Nielsen View Post
    Thanks a lot Artie. How do I see if there is anything at 255 and what do you mean by increasing the density?
    Hi Anders, One thing at a time. Open the image in Photoshop. Open a Levels Adjustment layer. Hold down the Atl key (Command in MAC). Put the cursor on the highlight slider, left click, and hold it there. The image should have turned black. If there are any flashing speckles then you have whites at 255, i.e., without detail. Let me know and we can go from there.

    later and love, artie
    BIRDS AS ART Blog: great info and lessons, lots of images with our legendary BAA educational Captions; we will not sell you junk. 30+ years of long lens experience/e-mail with gear questions.

    BIRDS AS ART Online Store: we will not sell you junk. 35 years of long lens experience. Please e-mail with gear questions.

    Check out the new SONY e-Guide and videos that I did with Patrick Sparkman here. Ten percent discount for BPN members,

    E-mail me at samandmayasgrandpa@att.net.










  8. #8
    Anders Nielsen
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    Thanks Artie. There are some highlights in the yellow and a few in the white. When I convert it at Exp -0,80 I get a completely black image when holding down Alt.

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