I took this shot last month. The light was a bit harsh, but I think it turned out pretty good. In addition to adjusting levels/curves and applying a little NR, I removed a few distracting background elements and some bird poo on the bush.
Taken April 20, 2012, 0947
Canon T1i
Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L lens
1/1600 second, f/6.3, ISO 400
Lots to like here as they say, the light is a bit harsh some whites are blown and detail lost. Probably a stop faster on the shutter would have been close - I think at ISO 400 = f/5.6 and 1/3200 are spot on. Always set your exposure for the brights/whites if you get that right everything else will fall into place.
The composition is compelling and nice job leveraging the rule of thirds I might crop off the bottom up to the point the leaves on the bottom right corner are removed. What mode were you using AV, TV or M - nice post, and good field technique controlling the background and the four corners of the frame. Nice moment with nature - well done - keep em coming.
Last edited by Jeff Cashdollar; 05-23-2012 at 09:41 PM.
Thanx for the c&c. I was using AV mode with no exposure compensation. In PS, the histogram didn't show any blown out data, but there was data all the way up to the right edge of the histogram. I re-edited it to tone down the brightest areas... maybe a slight improvement, and cropped (from the bottom) for 8x10 ratio (I'm going to make a print to hang on the wall). I tried cloning out the tips of the leaves that were still in the lower right corner, but I thought it looked better with them in, so I cloned in the whole bunch from the uncropped version. How's that?
Eric,
I did not check the histogram just my monitor might check for pixels 255 or over, anyway the image looks and feels good. Regarding the crop it is subjective and as the photographer you make the call. The regal pose and beautiful habitat make it a wall hanger congrats....
Eastern Kingbird
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