Three from Ecuador
May 8, 2016 01:33:27 #
Three of the 1600 keepers I brought back from Ecuador/Galapagos
Black tailed trainbird (western Andes)
(Download)
Red footed Booby (Galapagos)
(Download)
Lava gull pair (Galapagos
(Download)
May 8, 2016 01:55:25 #
May 8, 2016 07:35:59 #
Very nice set. I too really like the colors and look of no. 3 but they are all great.
May 8, 2016 09:14:54 #
May 8, 2016 10:44:33 #
mcveed wrote:
Three of the 1600 keepers I brought back from Ecuador/Galapagos
Very nice! Though you had harsh light to deal with you managed it as well as you could, it looks like. All are sharp and detailed.
What I like about them is that all of the birds are doing something with their heads that makes you look twice at them. Good spotting and reflexes!
May 8, 2016 12:18:34 #
minniev wrote:
Very nice! Though you had harsh light to deal with you managed it as well as you could, it looks like. All are sharp and detailed.
What I like about them is that all of the birds are doing something with their heads that makes you look twice at them. Good spotting and reflexes!
What I like about them is that all of the birds are doing something with their heads that makes you look twice at them. Good spotting and reflexes!
Thanks, Minnie. In the Galapagos the National Park Service tightly controls when tour groups can land and when they must be off the island. This is to limit and control the number of people the birds and animals are exposed to. Tours are not allowed to land before dawn and must be off the island before sunset. That makes for limited 'golden hour' shooting. So lots of shots are taken in full bright and hot sun. The trip would have been worth it even without a camera.
May 8, 2016 12:37:17 #
May 9, 2016 08:31:27 #
Lovely shots. Too bad bird number one got lost in the background and the flower in front. As for two, I would have cropped the bottom a bit, lightened up the bird just a little, and darkened those highlighted flowers in the lower right. The colors and feather detail in three are so wonderful. And for all three, I would have added a little negative vignette to make the birds pop more.
Turning to politics, Ecuador is increasing tourism and construction on the islands which, while helping its economy, will damage this unique ecology. How sad.
Turning to politics, Ecuador is increasing tourism and construction on the islands which, while helping its economy, will damage this unique ecology. How sad.
May 9, 2016 11:04:40 #
Mark7829
Loc: Calfornia
I like them all. But here are some suggestions. #1, Don't be afraid to crop that big long tail and zoom in to the humming bird. Perhaps cropping 1/4 of the body out. All of that detail in the background that follows the tail is distracting. I had to do a double take to actually find the subject. Colors, tones and soft light is very good.
#2, I would have shot more wide open. The detail in the background is distracting. There are several limbs radiating out of the birds head. The bird is quite center but I believe that works.
#3, The shot is interesting and there is action from one of the birds. That is so important for the story element. The light is a bit late and there are harsh shadows in the background. Again, consider more wide open.
In all three shots, you made a clear effort to make sure the entire bird(s) were in the frame. That is the traditional perspective but consider tighter shots for a more intimate composition. Don't be afraid to crop, bringing the viewer closer to the subject.
#2, I would have shot more wide open. The detail in the background is distracting. There are several limbs radiating out of the birds head. The bird is quite center but I believe that works.
#3, The shot is interesting and there is action from one of the birds. That is so important for the story element. The light is a bit late and there are harsh shadows in the background. Again, consider more wide open.
In all three shots, you made a clear effort to make sure the entire bird(s) were in the frame. That is the traditional perspective but consider tighter shots for a more intimate composition. Don't be afraid to crop, bringing the viewer closer to the subject.
May 9, 2016 18:16:27 #
abc1234 wrote:
Lovely shots. Too bad bird number one got lost in... (show quote)
I know all three of these could be improved by fiddling with the details, but I will save that for a long winter's night. Thanks for looking closely enough to make detailed suggestions.
May 9, 2016 18:28:27 #
Mark7829 wrote:
I like them all. But here are some suggestions. ... (show quote)
The humming bird was selected for posting specifically because the bird is complete and in focus. There are others, most out of focus, and many only partial birds. The autofocus has trouble staying with a bird that keeps darting behind bushes and branches. I think the difficulty of locating the subject is part of the experience with wild life. It would be too easy to darken and blur the background to make the bird 'pop'. And it would be completely unrealistic. They are that colour for a very good reason. None of the points you brought up were news to me as I know they are not perfect. That's why I posted them here and not in the critique section. Thank you for looking in detail and commenting. I will take your suggestion on board when I get to doing final edit on these.
Don
May 9, 2016 18:39:20 #
abc1234 wrote:
Lovely shots. Too bad bird number one got lost in... (show quote)
The Ecuadorans are hoping that the increased tourist revenue will help to finance increased protection of this fragile ecosystem. The impact of tourism on the birds and animals is closely controlled by the National Park Service. The greatest danger is considered to be illegal poaching and fishing and this requires additional staff to properly police.
May 9, 2016 19:22:04 #
All very well done Don. When looking at animal or bird images always look at the eyes first. All of these are sharp.
:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:
Don
:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:
Don
May 9, 2016 20:27:57 #
PAR4DCR wrote:
All very well done Don. When looking at animal or bird images always look at the eyes first. All of these are sharp.
:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:
Don
:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:
Don
Thank you sir.
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