Pelican

[Clyde Hopper]

Hello every one. from time to time I hit a wall. I need a push in the direction of better photography. I made the image at Ft. DeSoto, Tampa , Fla. I tried to get a good head angle.
I question, if the crop is the best choice . I think it may be too tight, but i like it so i left it as you see. Also is the saturation high enough?
Thanks for taking the time to help
Clyde

Camera	Nikon D90
Exposure	0.001 sec (1/1000)
Aperture	f/6.7
Focal Length	250 mm
ISO Speed	200
Exposure Bias	0 EV

Lens =70-300 mm

[Kerry Perkins]

Clyde, I do feel that the crop is a bit tight everywhere except the bottom and you did get a good head angle. The saturation is fine but the contrast of the image has left much of the color behind. Strong direct sun like this always leads to problems with tonal range, and in this image you have both blown whites and blocked blacks. Almost half of the bird is in shadow, and those areas are where most of the color would be. The whites on the head are clipped, so there can be no detail there and the eye should be lightened. There isn't much you can do in this situation, best to wait for softer light! You made a good capture as far as pose, head angle, and composition! All this image needed was better lighting coming from directly behind you.

[Jeff Cashdollar]

Clyde,

I am heading to Ft. DeSoto, Tampa nest weekend. Looking for the wild parrots. Can you suggest some good phot locations. Regarding the image, Kerry hit the high points. It is so important to get good light. That is why I often get up at 5:00am and drive to find the best soft morning light and watch the weather forecast every day. The composition is great, a tad tight and better light makes this a keeper for sure. Remember the first two stops on the histogram contain 75% of the tonal range. Make sure you fill them but do not clip them - thanks - let's see more

[Clyde Hopper]

Clyde, I do feel that the crop is a bit tight everywhere except the bottom and you did get a good head angle. The saturation is fine but the contrast of the image has left much of the color behind. Strong direct sun like this always leads to problems with tonal range, and in this image you have both blown whites and blocked blacks. Almost half of the bird is in shadow, and those areas are where most of the color would be. The whites on the head are clipped, so there can be no detail there and the eye should be lightened. There isn't much you can do in this situation, best to wait for softer light! You made a good capture as far as pose, head angle, and composition! All this image needed was better lighting coming from directly behind you.

Kerry , thank you very much for the critique !
I may have made the contrast problem worst, as I have gotten into a habit of bumping the contrast (WAY) up in ACR. the reason I do that is ...Most of the photos I take seem to look hazy or foggy, and increased contrast seemed to help.
Of course that will not help the fact it was too sunny...But ,
It has been a problem sense day one , ( I have had a dslr for only two years tho)regardless what lens i use ( I have 5 ) It may be a in camera setting ?
Again Thank you for all the help, my only training is books and Internet and all information is greatly valued

[Kerry Perkins]

Clyde, happy to be of assistance and hope I wasn't too heavy with the critique. You did everything right with the capture except for the light and contrast, which go hand in hand in this case.

Many people feel that contrast helps their images, but I find just the opposite to be true. I have three custom curves settings that I use in PS - anti-contrast minimum, anti-contrast medium, and anti-contrast full. They are basically "reverse s-curves" that help to flatten out the tonal range. I also don't add any contrast at all in LR and seldom use the "clarity" slider on birds, as I find it takes away detail. Experiment for yourself and see. Start with your "flat-looking" image and just add some saturation and a bit of blacks instead of whacking it with contrast. I think you'll find some nicer looking images lurking in there... When you start adding "hidden contrast", which happens with clarity and sharpening, detail tends to get lost - especially if there is any significant areas of white on your bird.

[Clyde Hopper]

Clyde,

I am heading to Ft. DeSoto, Tampa nest weekend. Looking for the wild parrots. Can you suggest some good phot locations. Regarding the image, Kerry hit the high points. It is so important to get good light. That is why I often get up at 5:00am and drive to find the best soft morning light and watch the weather forecast every day. The composition is great, a tad tight and better light makes this a keeper for sure. Remember the first two stops on the histogram contain 75% of the tonal range. Make sure you fill them but do not clip them - thanks - let's see more

Hi Jeff. I went to DeSoto for 2 days,and that was not enough time to scratch the surface. It's not all that big,but by the time you check out everything you have lost a day . the area I found to be the best was the north most part of the beach. I found 3 key spots there.
(1). when you head toward the beach ,through the pine trees ,you will cross a foot bridge over a small stream,I found an abundance of wildlife there , Including Ibis , yellow crowned Night heron ,all kinds of common back yard birds..red winged black bird .
a good amount of tiny crabs were the attraction....I also saw a descent sized ( read BIG )black snake.ugh I HATE snakes lol
(2)on to the beach..or flats as the water doesn't drop-off much . too the left (south) is a area blocked off for wild life only.( 500mm needed) there were osprey in a tree across a small catch pond .some tricolored Herons and a large flock of black Skimmers
(3)To the Right .North of the path to the beach. there is a large pond/swamp that will store what ever bird that is in town for the weekend...lol
though I didn't know it at the time there is also a hiking trail at the north turn-around that is suppose to be extremely good...I'll hit it next time.

Also Thank you for your help...I will be needing a large amount of it !

[Clyde Hopper]

Clyde, happy to be of assistance and hope I wasn't too heavy with the critique. You did everything right with the capture except for the light and contrast, which go hand in hand in this case.

Many people feel that contrast helps their images, but I find just the opposite to be true. I have three custom curves settings that I use in PS - anti-contrast minimum, anti-contrast medium, and anti-contrast full. They are basically "reverse s-curves" that help to flatten out the tonal range. I also don't add any contrast at all in LR and seldom use the "clarity" slider on birds, as I find it takes away detail. Experiment for yourself and see. Start with your "flat-looking" image and just add some saturation and a bit of blacks instead of whacking it with contrast. I think you'll find some nicer looking images lurking in there... When you start adding "hidden contrast", which happens with clarity and sharpening, detail tends to get lost - especially if there is any significant areas of white on your bird.

Defiantly Not too heavy on the cri..I'm here to learn and find it easer if no one pulls there punches. I like it to the point and not sugar coated.
I am still learning how to properly read the histogram, and ..well kinda lost with curves.
only because I haven't used them .most /all adjustments i do is in acr and then when in ps I add usm... looks like I will be doing some studying . Kerry your advice is Much appreciated !