Today 72 am, setup.
Nikon D700, 300mm f2.8, 1.4 tc, tripod.
1/1000, f7.1, iso 800.
Adjusted wb, exp, sat in acr. Cloned away a stick right in front of the beak, lightened
the eye, usm in cs3. This is about 60% of the original.
Jack
Blue Jay Portrait
Today 7
Nikon D700, 300mm f2.8, 1.4 tc, tripod.
1/1000, f7.1, iso 800.
Adjusted wb, exp, sat in acr. Cloned away a stick right in front of the beak, lightened
the eye, usm in cs3. This is about 60% of the original.
Jack
I don't know how those high fives got on there. I did'nt click any of that stuff. That is supposed to say
7
Why are these high five things on my post?
was it supposed to say seven colon 52...why I do not know but I have seen it happen before.....
Very nice shot....maybe and I am not real sure but maybe a beak clean-up
Bill
Yes Bill seven colon 52. You are right that the beak should have been cleaned up. Thank you.
Jack
Jack, I would move the bird up in the frame, it would be even better, as is, too much negative space on top.
Jack, a beautiful bird, beautifully exposed and sharp. I would suggest taking some off both the top and bottom, making the frame square.
Hello Jack, while this is a nice capture and the detail and background are good, there are a couple of things that I would point out. The crop bugs me, as it is not cropped close enough to be a portrait (head shot), nor loose enough to be a 3/4 portrait. If you have canvas in the original, I would suggest moving the bird up and to the right so you have more of the body in the frame and the head is not in the middle. This would also have the body exiting the frame in the lower left corner which would be preferable. I am also seeing a strong red cast, which seems too much even for the early morning light. I would expect the head plumage to be whiter and the blues to be closer to a primary blue color.
"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
Kerry, FYI I have a group containing multiple Blue Jays every summer coming to the feeders and the colors on the mantle in Jack's picture are spot on. I've noted that it's not uncommon for individuals to show an slightly purplish cast in this area as compared to the consistently bright blue in the flight feathers. The whites are also all over the map with some being brilliant and others being quite dull. The dullish breast coloration on this bird is also not unusual. Blue Jays are a lot more variable than people give them credit for. Maybe some day I'll try to do a photo study of my birds to see if I can parse out multiple individuals.
BTW, thanks for the description of portrait vs. 3/4 shot. I'm still finding crop decisions to be some of the most difficult, and that clarifies some things for me.
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