Shining Sunbeam

[Peter Dexter]

This is my first image post. I have a lot to learn about technique and post processing (good sharpening eludes me) and it looks like I've come to the right place. The subject, Shining Sunbeam is a hummingbird that been in my yard for the last six days. It´s a some what unusual sighting since it is normally found at much higher altitudes. I use hummingbird feeders to attract most of the twenty five species that have come to my yard. This and four other species are exceptions and won't come to feeders. I have to catch them out in the gardens. In this photo the tail is too close to the bottom of the frame. The reason being I was close to the bird and tried to spot focus on it's head. For a better composition I would have had to move back.

AV priority 8.0, 1/250, ISO 1000, noise filtered with Neat Image

Canon 7D w/400 5.6


https://sites.google.com/site/colomb...e-images?pli=1

[Gary Esman]

Welcome to BPN! excellent first post. Like the hummingbird. Nice look back, background and DOF. Might add a little more to the bottom. Love to see more of these we only get one "brand" of hummingbirds up here.

Gary.

[dankearl]

I think the photo is really nice and certainly sharp enough.
A beautiful hummingbird, the color is unusual and very nice.
Nice BG, not a great perch, more room would have been nice, but the comp is fine to me.
Nice job and I look forward to more.

[Angad Achappa]

Superb details on the bird, maybe a little more room overall.

[Peter Dexter]

Thank you everyone. Yes I probobly have a tendency to crop in too close when I'm lucky enough to get a sharp exposure.

[Ken Watkins]

I am not at all familiar with Hummingbirds as we do not have then here in SA. I find the colours pleasing and it is certainly sharp where it counts.

[Arthur Morris]

Hi Peter, You need to learn to give your birds more room in the frame, room to live, room to be, room to breathe. Here you have stuffed the bird into the frame.... I'd got for considerably more room all around. As for sharpening JPEGs, this looks fine. Try setting the radius to .3 and then playing with the Amount slider-between 150 and 200 works well for 1024 wide/800 high JPEGs. Threshold at zero.

[Peter Dexter]

Thank you Arthur Morris I will try that sharpening suggestion.

[Arthur Morris]

Thank you Arthur Morris I will try that sharpening suggestion.

YAW Peter. That tip is one of dozens if not hundreds in our Digital Basics File that includes my complete Digital Workflow. DB is a PDF sent via e-mail.