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Thread: A Little Bit Higher On The Learning Curve?

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    Default A Little Bit Higher On The Learning Curve?

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    Nikon D7000 w/Nikkor 80-400mm vr lens @ 370mm, tripod mounted
    ISO 400; f/18, 1/250sec; MM - 0.67
    SB-800 strobe illumination w/four SB-26 optical slaves (power 1/16), firing simultaneously.

    On June 11, I posted an image in this forum of a ruby-throated hummingbird at a day lily. Many of you replied, suggesting that the background for my image was not terrific, and that I could make other changes in my setup that would improve my results. Others, outside of BPN, also commented on the flower I used previously, and made helpful suggestions in that regard. What you see here is my response to all who critiqued my prior image, which includes many BPN members and moderators, and Greg Basco.

    Changes I've made since my prior post include the following:

    ISO has been decreased and my lens has been opened a bit. The fabric background has been replaced with a new one. To produce this new background, I took a D300/28-300mm vrII lens combo out into parts of our 11-acre conservation area, looking for interesting areas for backgrounds. When I found them, I switched to manual focus, blurred the background images, and fired away. The results from a number of these shots were then printed 13x19 inches on matte paper.

    One of the printed backgrounds was then placed on an easel behind our hummingbirds, to produce this image.

    The day lily in my prior post has been replaced with a Monarda flower. And this flower, which was also spiked with sugar water to attract our hummers, also has some leaves.

    Please tell me, is this image of a male Ruby-throated hummingbird visiting our Monarda flower an improvement over my prior effort, and how can I do better?

    Norm

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    Great us of lighting and a superb BG. Love the flower and comp...Very nice image to look at!

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    Lifetime Member Doug Brown's Avatar
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    It's a substantial improvement over the original Norm. Better exposure on the bird, no ghosting, and a nicer BG. I like the inclusion of a bit more of the flower. I might tone down the RLC a bit, as it seems a little too bright. This is what BPN is all about!
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    Avian Moderator Randy Stout's Avatar
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    Norm:

    Agree with Doug, significant improvement.

    I like the slight variation in the BG, less homogeneous. The flower presents much better for my tastes as well. Seems more natural, less setup like.

    Also agree with Doug about the luminosity of the RLC. I would tone it down to match the other corners, and if mine, would also tone down the leaves on the flower a bit, just a little too bright for my tastes.

    Nice upgrade!

    Cheers

    Randy
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    Thanks Dumay, Doug and Randy.

    In this repost I've toned down the green parts of the flower, which I hope also reduces the brightness of the RLC.

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    Nicely executed Norm. Your repost is an improvement...

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    Avian Moderator Randy Stout's Avatar
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    Norm:

    Another significant improvement with the repost.

    Cheers

    Randy
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    Lifetime Member Doug Brown's Avatar
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    Repost looks good Norm!
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    Ofer Levy
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    Very nice shot indeed!! Repost looks good! For future attempts I would consider a slightly darker BG with some texture in it and maybe a different plant with more than one flower which will fill more of the frame. Would also like to see the bird smaller.

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    Norm, this is lovely!

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    Lifetime Member Marina Scarr's Avatar
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    The repost is pretty darn impressive.
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    Quote Originally Posted by Norm Dulak View Post
    Thanks Dumay, Doug and Randy.

    In this repost I've toned down the green parts of the flower, which I hope also reduces the brightness of the RLC.
    Marvelous image with beautiful background ...colors are wonderful..Composition is too good.

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    The repost is excellent, I love the body and HA and the flower is great! Lovely wing position. I love the size of the bird in this shot but like Ofer would be very interested to see a shot of this bird a little smaller, but of course this would mean that you'd have to include more of the flower for a shot like this (with this I mean a shot where the hummer is actually feeding like in this shot, because adding space here so that the hummer would get smaller in the frame would leave this shot unbalanced). Depending on what the rest of the flower looks like this could actually decrease the strength of the shot. If the flower and plant look very interesting you could try to include more of it and see what it looks like.

    Very well done in any case Norm!

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    One of the things I particularly like about this image is that the bird is feeding on one of the favorite flowers of this species. This is a native flower cut from our field. It was one of the first to bloom. When the entire mass of flowers is blooming it is very hard to attract hummingbirds to our feeders as they prefer the natural stuff. So, the image has special meaning for me.

    Linda

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    Thanks everyone! I really appreciate your comments and suggestions.

    Norm

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    Nico Steenberg
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    Great comp and bg. Like the colours. Subject is sharp and well exposed. A very pleasing IMG !

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    Superb image design and amazing colors.
    The repost rocks. My only nit is the halo around the head.
    Fantastic work. I love it!

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