Anna's hummer
Just happened to notice this fellow in a snag while I was looking for larger subjects. Very large crop so lost some detail, but was pretty impressed at what the camera was able to make of it!
Converted and cropped in LR2, then processed and sharpened in PS CS4. Used levels to boost mids, vibrance to bring out colors, and curves to balance the light a bit.
50D, EF400mm f/5.6L
Manual mode, f/5.6@1/800 ISO 400 WB 5100K
AI Servo autofocus, HH, 580EX II FEC -1 2/3
"It is an illusion that photos are made with the camera... they are made with the eye, heart, and head." - Henri Cartier Bresson
Please visit me on the web at http://kerryperkinsphotography.com
Hi Kerry- Sweet. Beautiful pose and head angle. Nice and sharp. Yes the 50D was a pretty crop-worthy body. The crescent around the bottom of the eye is a telltail sign of "steel-eye" from the flash. I would remove that. I might trim a little off the bottom.
I wish we had this species in the east.
Man, that bird just pops. I wonder if dimming the background a little would make it scream even more ... though maybe too much.
John, are you sure that the crescent in the bottom of the eye is a flash artifact and not the actual iris? It seems to appear all the way around the eye, though not quite as intensely as along the bottom.
I am sure Paul. Here is one example with as it happens a hummingbird, but all birds are prone to this in my experience. I'll post another example below this one.
Steel-eye manifests itself in various ways- this is one of them.
Another example from the same bird. They were both minimally processed. I'm not proud of the images themselves!
Sorry Kerry, I don't want to hijack the thread!
Last edited by John Chardine; 03-31-2011 at 05:59 PM.
John, excellent examples and no worries! I'm here to learn too.
"It is an illusion that photos are made with the camera... they are made with the eye, heart, and head." - Henri Cartier Bresson
Please visit me on the web at http://kerryperkinsphotography.com
John, those examples are interesting and very instructive. In both it seems like the upper and lower parts of the eye are more susceptible than the rest, I suppose due to the curvature of the eye.
Interesting thread here. Would the use of the "better beamer" prevent the steel eye? I have no experience with flash or BB, "yet!"
My second glance that this beautiful image and I like it just as much as I did the first time I saw it. I don't know that I'd have gone high key with this one but I love that you did. John covered the eye issue...everything else works for me!
Hi Ann- In my experience the beamer does not prevent steel-eye, it might even make it worse because the flash produces pretty bright, directed light. It is my understanding that the occurrence of steel-eye is related to how close the flash is to the lens centre-line. If it's close you get more of a problem, very similar if not the same "redeye" problem caused by pop-up flashes. It's best to mount your flash on an extension arm like is available with the Mongoose and Wimberley heads and get it as far away from the centre-line as possible. You can still get the problem though, and I've noticed it more prevalent in darkish conditions when the bird's pupil is open wide. Also it is related to the exact angle of the eye in relation to the flash beam, which in a moving bird is more of a random event.
I would highly recommend getting into using flash. It opens up a lot of possibilities.
Back to the OP, I really like the way the side view shows off the green and yellow. The simple perch and pastel BG make an elegant portrait. I wonder if it could take an oval vignette for an old-time look.
Kerry -great color and I like the high key.
TFS,
Rachel
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