Results 1 to 12 of 12

Thread: Something different- Painted Redstart

  1. #1
    Lifetime Member gail bisson's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    Nova Scotia
    Posts
    12,731
    Threads
    910
    Thank You Posts

    Default Something different- Painted Redstart

    Attached Images Attached Images
     
    While visiting Dauphin Island in Alabama the birders were in ecstasy as a painted redstart was spotted for only the second time ever in Alabama. Most people felt it was blown off course during its migration to Texas by all the storms and tornadoes this spring.
    This little warbler was the FASTEST moving bird I have ever tried to photograph. He acts like a nuthatch on speed and often fans his tail which is white. I took over 60 pictures of him and only 2 were sharp. He would not come out of the dark canopy of the woods.
    This isn't my best picture ever but i thought I would post it anyway as it is a bird I have not seen posted here.
    Canon 7D
    rented 500mm and 1.4 extender
    ISO 800mm
    SS 1/125
    EVC +1
    aperture priority
    Shot as vertical
    I found it very difficult to process in PP due to the blacks and low lighting conditions. Any tips you can give me to improve this picture are greatly appreciated.

  2. #2
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    SF Bay Area
    Posts
    327
    Threads
    43
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Great picture. I love the vertical pose and head angle. I share my frustration with this bird.
    I tried to photograph it in Arizona last year and I ended up with just a couple of usable frames.
    On my screen I can see a red cast on the image. You may want to adjust the WB.

  3. #3
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Location
    central NY
    Posts
    2,414
    Threads
    222
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    What a lovely capture, Gail. it's almost like this little guy was posing for you! I think it looks great overall. Stunning colors on this bird. Thanks for sharing, I hadn't seen one before!

  4. #4
    BPN Viewer
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Kalamazoo, MI
    Posts
    500
    Threads
    50
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Wow Gail, congrats on this find.. and you did a very nice job with this one... Love the up the tree look. Wonderful bkg and perch.

  5. #5
    BPN Viewer
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    Dryden, Ontario
    Posts
    450
    Threads
    81
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    I love the pose Gail - if you handed me a print I am not sure if I could tell which way was supposed to be up! Like Luis, I tried to photograph this species in Arizona also and I feel your pain - you did very well at 1/125s.

  6. #6
    Lifetime Member Doug Brown's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    Albuquerque, NM
    Posts
    11,879
    Threads
    917
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Congrats on such a nice photo of this Painted Redstart! You must have done pretty well with your exposure in camera, because the 7D at ISO 800 is not very forgiving when you try to recover blacks. Do you have a sliver of additional canvas at the bottom of the frame? Also, I notice some gray around parts of the bird's head; does it look that way naturally or did you do a little work on the BG?
    Upcoming Workshops: Bosque del Apache 2019, Ecuador 2020 (details coming soon)
    Website -
    Facebook - 500px

  7. #7
    Lifetime Member Marina Scarr's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    Sarasota, FL
    Posts
    10,347
    Threads
    403
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Love this cute little bird. His colors really pop and you did a great job with exposure. Love his pose and the light is really nice. Do see a bit of halo on top of the bird's head.
    Marina Scarr
    Florida Master Naturalist
    Website, Facebook

  8. #8
    Super Moderator arash_hazeghi's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    San Francisco, California, United States
    Posts
    18,545
    Threads
    1,318
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    pose is great and I like that the shooting angle is great and not steep. I am also seeing some slight grey halo around the head and beak area but it may just be from the light. well done
    New! Sony Capture One Pro Guide 2022
    https://arihazeghiphotography.com/Gu.../Sony_C1P.html


    ------------------------------------------------
    Visit my blog
    http://www.arihazeghiphotography.com/blog

  9. #9
    Lifetime Member gail bisson's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    Nova Scotia
    Posts
    12,731
    Threads
    910
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Thank you all for your comments.
    Doug,-the only thing I did to the BG was noise reduction. I only did one round of sharpening on the bird because if I did more , the blacks in the feathers looked wonky. I do have about 3% more room on the bottom.
    Gail

  10. #10
    BPN Viewer
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Location
    Vernon, N.J.
    Posts
    480
    Threads
    76
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Congrats on the find Gail. The colors are nice and the perch and BGD look great too.

  11. #11
    BPN Viewer
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    Sherbrooke, Québec
    Posts
    264
    Threads
    49
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    I do not know what % of crop this is, but there is much noise in the BG. I would simply make a mask and run noise reduction in PS on it. Nice shot of a rare bird sight!

  12. #12
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    Stoney Point, Ontario, Canada
    Posts
    6,868
    Threads
    512
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Beautiful image Gail. I like the pose, HA, exposure and BG.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Web Analytics