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| Group |
Round |
C/R |
Comment |
Date |
Image |
| 67 |
Jul 23 |
Reply |
Updated with removal of the tree. |
Jul 5th |
 |
| 67 |
Jul 23 |
Reply |
I had the same thought about that tree, guess I need to try cloning it out. We were packed shoulder-shoulder at the edge of the pond so I was pretty much stuck with my vantage point, although I'm not entirely sure I would've seen that at the time anyway! |
Jul 3rd |
| 67 |
Jul 23 |
Reply |
I think we stopped at Marion's before heading to the lodge. It was a nice little spot and very similar birds to the lodge.
I don't use ACR so can't give you my comparison with Topaz. But from what I've read from others, it's on a par. I used just the Sharpen program though, not denoise, to tweak the head. I haven't yet played with Topaz's newest "AI" program.
Yes, for more DoF, go to a larger F number. In this case just a small adjustment like 1/3 stop would be enough, probably wouldn't have needed to change the ISO. And the only reason that f/8 wasn't enough was the bird had its head turned away from the body- if it was more in the same plane, that would've been plenty. I looked at my images of the same bird and was using f/5.6-f/7.1 with good results, but I didn't have the same kind of pose that had that much depth. So I'm not necessarily recommending to go with larger f/numbers when shooting little birds like this because it also brings the background in to more focus which is not always a good thing.
I hope you post your quetzal next :)
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Jul 2nd |
| 67 |
Jul 23 |
Comment |
You make such a good point about digital vs film! I shoot things I'd have never dreamed of "wasting" film on, and am often glad I do :)
I love the colors and patterns in the water, something I always find appealing. That's one big catfish... I like that you have it on the diagonal heading right in to the circle of ripples. One post-process suggestion would be to increase the contrast a bit by bringing in the black point, which will help the dark fish to stand out a bit more.
A different, interesting image! I like it! |
Jul 2nd |
| 67 |
Jul 23 |
Comment |
Hopefully she buried the eggs deeply enough that those blackbirds didn't just dig them right up...
What a great story-telling image with the fresh eggs in the fresh depression. The even light of the shade helps here, since there's so much detail in the scene. The low perspective was worth the effort.
As for "interference"- well, to my way of thinking, the paved parking lot was interference too. Your action only helped to address the obstacle that humans put in her way to begin with. |
Jul 2nd |
| 67 |
Jul 23 |
Comment |
Great timing on this shot! Hard to capture this kind of moment, especially with a good wing position like this and the fish visible. My only real nit is just that it's a bit small in the frame, using the 200mm end of your range would've been good. Although when you do that it's harder to find and keep the subject in the frame especially from a rocking boat! I think the 1/3500 shutter speed was adequate, I don't see any motion blur.
The focus mode Bud mentions is in the Nikon mirrorless system (and perhaps other mirrorless as well?). For your camera, which I shot for many years, probably the best choice for this situation is the expanded focus points. You don't want a big area of focus points because it'll grab on to the water very quickly. When there are distractions in the background, use the smallest array of points you can and still be able to stay on the target, is some good advice I try to follow. FWIW.
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Jul 2nd |
| 67 |
Jul 23 |
Comment |
What an incredibly sweet moment you captured of these siblings. I think this probably would've been my favorite out of the opportunities you described, too.
Your settings look good, I don't see any evidence of movement that indicate the ss was too slow here. As for the crop, I often do the same thing and come back to a shot after some time! I like your choice to go a bit tighter, especially since the legs are not all there in the original. You could take even a bit more off the backside of the right fawn to further emphasize the faces.
A wonderful memory and a very nice, sweet image. |
Jul 2nd |
| 67 |
Jul 23 |
Comment |
I usually photograph the gulls when headed out for the same reason, but pelicans are a more fun subject for sure!
I like your choice of the wing position, with the wings up and slightly separated. As Susan mentioned, the layered background is appealing as well. Overall very nice.
I hope you got to see lots of whales and some behaviors! |
Jul 2nd |
| 67 |
Jul 23 |
Comment |
Hi Susan, was this at Paraiso Quetzal lodge? That was one of my favorite locations, there were so many hummers! The Talamanca has a black bill; this red-billed one is the Fiery-throated. They are full of "spit and vinegar", and you captured that attitude really well.
Yes, you probably could've adjusted your settings as noted, however what you were using was reasonable. If anything, you could've used a bit more DoF here with this pose, as the head is a bit soft due to the DoF. The back and wings are beautifully sharp, wonderful detail!
I also would leave just a bit more space below the bird, but that's a matter of preference.
I took your original and cropped it differently, reduced exposure and adjusted the levels to increase the contrast a bit. Then I used Topaz Sharpen AI just on the head. |
Jul 2nd |
 |
| 67 |
Jul 23 |
Reply |
I have a tendency to try to avoid people in my landscape images. But your point about giving a sense of scale is a very good one. It does tell more of a story that way. I need to remember that both can be good, and now I won't delete all the shots with people in them :) |
Jul 2nd |
| 67 |
Jul 23 |
Reply |
Thanks! No need to replace it, I just didn't want people thinking I'd done that much cloning. |
Jul 2nd |
| 67 |
Jul 23 |
Comment |
Oops- I accidentally submitted the wrong original, the frame before the one I processed. Everything the same but the guy on the far bank had moved away, I didn't clone him out :) |
Jul 1st |
7 comments - 5 replies for Group 67
|
| 91 |
Jul 23 |
Reply |
dang autocorrect!! lol. Yes I'd be happy to share good photo locations in the Phoenix area! |
Jul 13th |
| 91 |
Jul 23 |
Reply |
They're native. There's actually a lot of places with water (many such as this are man-made) and we get large numbers of shorebirds, waders and waterfowl. |
Jul 12th |
| 91 |
Jul 23 |
Comment |
Very nice bird to go looking for! Your perspective, looking up at the bird, does indeed give an air of majesty and stateliness. The moody sky also contributes to that. Nice detail in the white plumage, which is challenging. One really minor nit is the white spot in the bottom of the perch, I'd clone that out since cropping would make the bird's feet too close to the frame edge. |
Jul 9th |
| 91 |
Jul 23 |
Reply |
Hi Jerry, it's the Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch in Gilbert, AZ. About 10 minutes from home for me. Phoenix metro area- who would ever think we'd have water birds in the desert??? |
Jul 8th |
| 91 |
Jul 23 |
Reply |
Thanks Bruce. Having a vision and persistence really paid off for you. I'll have to give that technique a try. |
Jul 5th |
| 91 |
Jul 23 |
Reply |
I actually think the original looks pretty good "as it is"!
I downloaded it and can see the f/stop was f/13, which is why the sand and background plants have some detail. I tried applying clarity to the whole image and could see that detail becomes more visible. Applying it only to the birds would be a better approach.
Because the 2 birds are about the same distance to you, probably f/13 was more DoF than you needed here, f/8 would have made that background softer and less detail.
I made a few adjustments: reduced exposure -0.2, and increased contrast a little by bringing in the black and white points (but just a little). Applied a small amount of clarity only to the birds. |
Jul 4th |
 |
| 91 |
Jul 23 |
Reply |
Nice to get the underside too. Lovely wing and tail spread here. The head angle isn't as desirable in that it's looking away- which I find is the case more often than not with Osprey as they scan for fish. Still a nice complement to your other view. |
Jul 3rd |
| 91 |
Jul 23 |
Comment |
A handsome bird and the red, white and black colors are indeed striking. I like the tight portrait capture, which accentuates that S shape and overall simplifies the image. I like the original orientation where the diagonal of the red bill leads you in to the image, up to the eye, and the body "blocks" the right side of the image. But the flip works ok too.
Bringing out more details in the face adds interest, the eye is totally different and more appealing. Adding some canvas in front of the bill helps as it was kinda tight. But the added canvas on the body of the bird is disjointed, you can see the distinct line where it was done. To my eye the original amount of the body is fine, but that's just my take. |
Jul 2nd |
| 91 |
Jul 23 |
Comment |
Wow you captured a wonderful pose of the bird with the wings and tail both fanned out, and above an attractive perch. I like the crop as shown, but a more vertical crop also could be quite nice.
I'm curious as to how you managed to capture this pose. Were you using a "pro-capture" type feature, were you pre-focused on the perch when it took off, animal eye-tracking focus on a new mirrorless camera ?? I never seem to manage to get a sharp bird in this kind of situation. What shutter speed, f/stop? Hints most appreciated! |
Jul 2nd |
| 91 |
Jul 23 |
Comment |
This is a lovely top-side view of an Osprey. Really nice head and wing position with good details. I like your crop, you've given the bird a good amount of space all 'round. Good work. |
Jul 2nd |
| 91 |
Jul 23 |
Comment |
You've captured a nice moment with these 2 birds. I like your low perspective, the poses of the pair and the overall framing. They look nice and sharp, too. A real treat to see this.
Did you capture more frames just before or after this, where the nictitating membrane (inner eyelid) is not covering the eye of the right-side bird? That often appears in images of raptors, and it's impossible to see at the time of capture to avoid it.
You ask for improvement advice. I find that the foreground sand and background plants look a bit strange. Did you apply clarity to the entire frame, or selectively to the birds? Too much clarity applied to the out-of-focus areas can result in this type of appearance. If this is in the original, you could selectively apply negative clarity to those areas to soften up the appearance.
I hope to get to India some day to photograph the birds there! I'd love to see this elegant bird. |
Jul 2nd |
| 91 |
Jul 23 |
Reply |
Thanks for your inputs, Bruce. If you look at the original, you can see more detail in the dark water. I intentionally reduced the exposure slightly to make it darker. However, for some reason, it appears even darker here than the uploaded file looks- much more "floating" in the black, as you noted. The color space is correct, and I've looked at it on 3 different browsers with the same result. I'm not sure why it is subtly different. So, I've brought up shadows a bit and it appears more as I intended it in this updated version.
Cindy. |
Jul 1st |
 |
5 comments - 7 replies for Group 91
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12 comments - 12 replies Total
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