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Thread: Stonechat

  1. #1
    Macro and Flora Moderator Jonathan Ashton's Avatar
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    Default Stonechat

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    Canon 7D Canon 500mm f4 L IS &1.4TC1, tripod ISO 400 1/1000 sec f5.6
    I had to rescue this image, I did not notice that as I followed this little bird I must have knocked the dial from AV to manual,(an all too frequent incident - I have now put insulation tape on the control dial) having said that I am fairly pleased with the result. I would have given it perhaps another 1/2 stop exposure; the light was so oblique there were already blinkies in the highlights, so perhaps the exposure wasn't too bad after all.
    I applied NR to the background and lifted the dark plumage using a reverse curve.
    All comments welcome.

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    BPN Member jack williamson's Avatar
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    This is very high quality Jonathan but it seems a bit dark. Great pose and ha and I like that perch. The bg is real good.

    Jack

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    BPN Member dankearl's Avatar
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    It is moody and a bit dark, but very attractive colors and A nice interesting perch.
    Dan Kearl

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    Lifetime Member gail bisson's Avatar
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    I like the dark moody feel to this. I would lighten the eye and face slightly. Very nice and I like the delicate perch. This would look nice as a vertical as well,
    Gail

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    Super Moderator arash_hazeghi's Avatar
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    you had a good perch and a nice pose but the light angle was not great leaving most of the bird in shade... if possible try to put the sun behind you for better results
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    To my taste, the light here is terrific, and I think the moodiness sets this apart from many of the perfectly-lit photos I see...the bird is dark but the eye pops nicely. To me, this is a very appealing look. The only thing I'd suggest is to crop a little bit off the right side so as to lose the vertical whitish strip in the lower right, some distracting OOF foliage or whatever it was?
    Last edited by Jack Breakfast; 02-04-2012 at 08:26 PM.

  7. #7
    Macro and Flora Moderator Jonathan Ashton's Avatar
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    Thanks for the feedback, I agree if the light had been behind me it would have been more evenly lit but I liked the moody scene. The shot was taken from a path and the bird was in a field on the other side of the fence so unfortunately it was impossible to get the sun behind him - it is only possible really around first light. I did lighten the eye and the dark plumage but this was about as far as I could go without introducing further artefact. I will have a look at a portrait version.

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    Lifetime Member Stu Bowie's Avatar
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    Hi Jon, The more I look at this, the more exposed it becomes The darker plumage is not blocked, and the white on the throat is fine. I like the angled pose, thin perch, and another liking the darker BG. In landscape format, I would move the Chat to the left a touch more, and as Gail mentioned, a vertical would work just as well with this pose.

  9. #9
    Macro and Flora Moderator Jonathan Ashton's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Stuart Bowie View Post
    Hi Jon, The more I look at this, the more exposed it becomes The darker plumage is not blocked, and the white on the throat is fine. I like the angled pose, thin perch, and another liking the darker BG. In landscape format, I would move the Chat to the left a touch more, and as Gail mentioned, a vertical would work just as well with this pose.
    Glad you liked it Stu, I processed the image in late afternoon and the ambient room light was fairly dull; I think viewing light ambience makes a big difference to brilliance and contrast. I have constructed a simple hood for the screen - made it from black mounting board, this also helps maintain good viewing conditions..

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