I know this image needs help, but it just makes me laugh when I look at this cormorant landing. It reminds me of how one feels after going through the holiday travel experience.
The sun was getting a bit high, and I removed a beak shadow from its neck. One of my first flight shots - rented a 600m and still wasn't as close as I wanted. Mainly sharing for laughs but do you think it is salvagable? What would be best fix for BG? Do you think I should do more cropping and just completely remove the reeds in the BG? thanks, Brendan
Shooting Mode Aperture-Priority AE
Tv( Shutter Speed ) 1/1250
Av( Aperture Value ) 5.6
Metering Mode Evaluative Metering
Exposure Compensation 0
ISO Speed 400
Auto ISO Speed OFF
Lens EF600mm f/4L IS USM
Focal Length 600.0mm
Hi Brendan- These action images are not easy to capture. Everything happens so fast. The bird is pretty rough looking! I would crop some off the left and add some to the right is possible. I don't mind the BG at all. Is this a heavy crop? The IQ of the bird is marginal and I am not sure it's salvageable at this magnification- it may be with a lighter crop.
Last edited by John Chardine; 12-26-2010 at 05:06 PM.
I totally agree with John - it's going to be hard to make this sharp enough to really consider it a keeper but...I'd jump down to the OOTB section and take a look at some of the work down there and use this image to create something new because, like you, it makes me smile and for that reason I say give it another try. Maybe changing it to a sketch or a cartoon filter or using the bird in a collage-type image...
Yes, it was a heavy crop so I may try a lighter one and see. Forgive my ignorance, but what is the best IQ test to perform to see if it passes or fails?
If I can't make it work, I'll try going in another direction like Julie suggested. Just checked out some of the OOTB images from this year - that is amazing, fun stuff.
Thanks Desmond, I will give that a try too. I love the tail drag! Wondering how much of the tail drag trail I should include to give it more emphasis in the composition.
Oh and little bit of triva: My bro informed me that the cormorant was the inspiration for the animation character, Daffy Duck. Definitely not attractive or graceful bird, and depending on the shot, they can look pretty goofy.
Actually during breeding season the large males develop darker plummage, head tuffs with white streaks, the bill and face become bright orange, and the inside of the mouth is a brilliant blue. Along with the emerald eyes a very attractive bird!
The cormorants use the tail feathers as a break to land on water, and chances are you'll have many opportunities to try again.
Extensive crops have very damaging effects on image quality, that can be attributed to other causes if the degree of cropping has not been disclosed. Dark birds are especially vulnerable, since camera sensors are capturing much less digital information in the first place due to lack of light.
regards~Bill
That was a typo, sorry, I meant to say they weren't "the most attractive" - and some poses, like when they stretch out and dry their wings do look elegant. I like how they point their beaks up when they are paddling. They can look pretty funny when they walk with those big webbed feet too. They have a lot of character, and that's why I like em.
Brendan- The best test for IQ is your own eyes. There are 1000s of superb images posted here on BPN. They have an "easy" sharpness, not forced. Take a look. You know you have made a sharp image as soon as you look at it on your computer at 100%. This last point is important. 100%, pixel for pixel is the only way to judge ultimate sharpness. Remember though, that all images are a little blurred out of a digital camera, so some sharpening is almost always required. Smaller sensors with high mexapixels counts will produce in general image that are less sharp out of the camera than larger sensors with lower megapixel counts.
hey Brendan, I love cormorants - love the info about Daffy Duck - they are pretty funny to watch. I especially love watching them when only their head is exposed and they look like submarines cruising the ponds looking for fish. In Florida once I saw one swallow a big round fish and then swim around for a minute or so with its neck the shape of the fish... I've always wanted to get a picture of one in this same pose. look forward to seeing the next one you post!
Thanks John. Well, time to go see the eye doctor! Just kidding, though I do need to work on sharpness both in camera and out. The IQ on this was a bit fuzzy at 100%.
I'm also using the Canon Digital software. (I'm going to switch to ACR). I notice that when I open the RAW files in the Canon software, it automatically opens at a sharpness of 3 on a scale of 1 to 10. Should I leave it at that setting when I transfer over to PS, or should I just put it to zero before transfer? I know Art likes no sharpening, or very little at least in the RAW file - the idea that sharpening is to be done at the very end of processing, after you have chosen the size of the image output.
Rough Flight
