Red-Headed Woodpecker

[Eric Freeman]

I've been photographing a pair of woodpeckers who live in a tree down the street. A few days ago I was out at daybreak, and the "golden hour" was exceptionally golden (I should have been down at the beach taking sunrise pix!!). I thought this one came out pretty good (especially since I was pushing the limits of my T1i at ISO 800). In addition to basic NR, levels and curves adjustments, I applied Nik's Color Efex "Pro Contrast" filter and added a little blur to the OOF background. C&C welcome.

Taken at 0655 hours
Canon T1i
Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L lens with EF 1.4x III extender
1/500 second, f/8, ISO 800


Red-Headed Woodpecker by ScubaDude1960, on Flickr

[Kerry Perkins]

Hi Eric, you took on a difficult situation here, as the background looks a lot like the foreground and there is a dark area behind the bird. This makes the bird blend in a bit, where a blue sky or OOF greenery would make him stand out. You have a good head angle, sharp eye, and pretty good exposure. The peak whites are too hot and you lost detail in the capture, especially in the rump and breast areas. I would crop in closer from the lower right corner and a little bit from the left.

[Jeff Cashdollar]

Eric,

The general rule with this type of composition is 1/3 tree 1/3 subject and 1/3 sky or clean background. Having a duplicate background is distracting remember the background is as important as the subject it must be controlled and the image must have harmony,..balance,...

Kerry's provided good overall comments and remember you should set the exposure techs to compensate for the bright whites first. Once you get one color right the rest should fall in place. The bright are always the first thing to address IMO. This subject is about 30% white feathers you need to ensure the histogram is not clipped on the right. That means a faster shutter especially at ISO 800 - I think at that ISO the sunny 16 rule for f/8.0 is 1/3200. Keep em coming, posting is the beat way to improve.

[Eric Freeman]

Thanx for the C&C, Jeff. Unfortunately, the only spot to get a shot of the nesting hole puts that other tree in the background. I could move in closer, but then I'd be looking up at the hole. I did separate the background and give it some extra blur, which helped some. Due to the high ISO, my dynamic range was narrowed to the point where both the darkest blacks and the brightest whites were clipped. I will probably try lowering the ISO and shutter speed next time (I was hoping to get some BIF shots of the bird taking off, but the shutter lag prevented me from getting any keepers). I think I'm finally outgrowing my T1i; it, rather than I, seems to be the weakest link. Now, I'm just waiting on the 7D's replacement (and, waiting for my wife's approval... I spent about $6000 on gear since getting my T1i a year ago).