Female House Sparrow - How is my photoshop?

[Matt Tucker]

Canon EOS 1D - Canon 400mm/5.6L
1/250 - f5.6 - ISO 400 - This crop is 45% of the original image.
Perch placed above hanging platform feeder.
Not the most exciting bird but I'm eager for feedback about my image processing. I cleaned up a couple dust spots with the clone tool. Slight curves adjustment. I placed an unsharp mask layer over a noise reduced layer. Used a layer mask over the top layer then "painted" it back in so the bird and perch are sharpened and the background has had the noise reduced.
Thank you for your comments

[Jeff Cashdollar]

Matt,

I like it and welcome, as you might know the way to get better is keep posting and providing feedback to others. Let's talk about your image, I like the simplicity of the shot and you controlled the frame well - no distracting elements to pull the eye and the crop (large as it is) complements the picture - pano was a good choice here. I am impressed with the post production work as well, the layer mask is the correct procedure to sharpen the bird and not the background. That is the essence of layer masking to isolate and protect certain areas from specific adjustments - well done.

The bright side of the subject might have a few hot pixels did you clip a bit on the right side of the histogram? The opportunities here are a faster shutter and fill flash to lighted the head and eye area. Regarding the exposure with a 400MM FL try and keep the shutter higher than 1/250 - the best method is to check the histogram - turn the blinkies on and make adjustments if you clip. What mode do you use, AV, TV Manual and what metering method?

Finally, I might crop some from the right and move the subject tighter in the lower corner. The large crop affects image quality - generally we try and ensure the subject is at least 20% of the frame. On balance nice post and mature post processing techniques keep em coming.

[Matt Tucker]

Jeff - Thanks for the comments

did you clip a bit on the right side of the histogram?

I'm in a tight spot with the histogram. The bright side of the bird has few pixels in the 250's but it's not clipped on the right. In fact, the blue channel is clipped on the left. This is in my backyard in open shade and the neighbors (white) house sits back from mine and is acting as a huge reflector creating the hot side. I would like to turn my set up to take advantage of this reflector but there isn't enough space between the house and the tree I'm using as a background. Maybe I can create an artificial background but that isn't my preference.

What mode do you use, AV, TV Manual and what metering method?

I was in AV mode and Partial Metering.

The large crop affects image quality

I'm going to move my blind closer so I'm near the minimum focusing distance of the lens. It will still require a large crop on such a small bird but if I get a larger bird like a Northern Cardinal it will do a better job filling the frame.

About image quality: I'm using a Canon EOS 1D (Original. Mark nothing) 4MP. Top of the line in 2002. I'm not in a position to replace it with a Mark IV or even 5D but I could afford a Rebel T3i. I know I wouldn't be happy with the speed of the Rebel for flight photography or action in general but would the image quality be better when larger crops are required like this?

[Arnon Cahen]

Hi Matt, I'm quite new here and can't give much solid advice on your post processing which looks to me excellent. I also like the shot composition very much.
What did catch my eye is your mention of the T3i, and given that I'm new to this and also not economically affluent I got the T2i (550D). The only difference between the two, as far as I could tell, was the turning LCD, the weight, and the price. They both have a lot of pixels so I think cropping is less damaging.
Also I see that you've invested in a good lens and that makes a huge difference even when the body is not pro. I got one comparable. I use the 300 f/4L and when I use it with the 1.4X it comes out 420 f//5.6. I like the camera a lot and love the bird shots I manage to get with it. Of course I wish I had a pro body, but I'm quite happy with this one and know that I've still got much to learn about the many functions that even this rather simple camera affords.
So, what I'm saying is that you can look at the photos I've posted and see what you can expect of the setup you'd have with the T3i (of course many other factors, such as my limited proficiency, affect the quality of my pictures). If you want I can send you more photos with the T2i and comparable lens, or give you more info about my impression of the camera.
Cheers,
Arnon

[Kerry Perkins]

Hi Matt, welcome to Eager To Learn, we are happy to see you here. There is much to learn about bird photography and you are in the right place for learning. You are shooting with a kit very similar to mine, I now have the 1D4 and the 400mm f/5.6. As far as gear goes, I would recommend hanging on to the 1D and saving your pennies for maybe a used 5D or 7D. You can find good deals from trustworthy people here on BPN.

As for this image, the challenge is not post processing, as you have done a fine job of that. The big challenge here is the lighting. The light is coming from behind the bird, which means that most of it is in shadow. Do you have a flash? This would have been a great time to use fill flash, although the color temp of the flash would not match the warm tones of the sunlight coming from behind. The best strategy is to have the sun behind you. Even if the angle is not perfect, at least you will have light on the part of the bird that you are photographing. I think you have one more dust bunny, just below the bird's feet and almost at the edge of the frame. Look forward to more!

[Matt Tucker]

Arnon - thanks for the reply. The power of the internet is no longer new, but I'm still blown away when I meet someone from so far away. I looked at the images you've posted so far and look forward to more.
My brother gave me a subscription to DigitalPhoto magazine and this months issue just arrived. It has an article in it about Pro DSLRs vs Consumer. After reading it I think I'm going to follow Kerry's advice and hold out for a 5D.

Kerry - I do have a flash but I'm resisting it's use for now and trying to stick with natural light. I am first going to move my set-up and see if I can get better light. Good eye on the dust bunny. I see it now.