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Mar 21, 2019 13:11:25   #
gtilford Loc: Woodstock, Ontario, Canada
 
So just found this section and since I do mostly birds and some wildlife maybe a bit of landscape, I would really like to improve my skills so I am posting this and hope that you can give me a few pointers on what I could have done to improve the shot
Thanks
Greg


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Mar 21, 2019 13:23:16   #
PixelStan77 Loc: Vermont/Chicago
 
gtilford wrote:
So just found this section and since I do mostly birds and some wildlife maybe a bit of landscape, I would really like to improve my skills so I am posting this and hope that you can give me a few pointers on what I could have done to improve the shot
Thanks
Greg


Greg, Crop to get rid of excess stuff in the image that does not support the subject. I would beef up the contrast.

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Mar 21, 2019 13:40:10   #
gtilford Loc: Woodstock, Ontario, Canada
 
PixelStan77 wrote:
Greg, Crop to get rid of excess stuff in the image that does not support the subject. I would beef up the contrast.


Ok so you would have cropped in even closer to the bird? Second I use AI Clear from Topaz then use Faststone to crop the photos in or to compare the shots in the first place to find the one with the best focus. Other then that I may add a bit of shadow or highlights but I try not to play with anything else. If I was to increase the contrast what would that do to the photo?

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Mar 21, 2019 17:17:06   #
ecobin Loc: Paoli, PA
 
gtilford wrote:
So just found this section and since I do mostly birds and some wildlife maybe a bit of landscape, I would really like to improve my skills so I am posting this and hope that you can give me a few pointers on what I could have done to improve the shot
Thanks
Greg


Your photo is sharp and perfect dof. Just a bit more pop to it is all that's needed. To do this I made the adjustments shown in Adobe Raw but can be done in any pp software. Then I cropped to a square. Hope you're okay with me posting the adjustments.

I may have been a bit heavy with the saturation but you get the idea.





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Mar 21, 2019 17:40:59   #
gtilford Loc: Woodstock, Ontario, Canada
 
ecobin wrote:
Your photo is sharp and perfect dof. Just a bit more pop to it is all that's needed. To do this I made the adjustments shown in Adobe Raw but can be done in any pp software. Then I cropped to a square. Hope you're okay with me posting the adjustments.

I may have been a bit heavy with the saturation but you get the idea.


Thanks very much ecobin, I do not mind at all that was why I put a downloadable image up. Will take a look at what you did. I do not use Topaz for anything other then AI Clear and Faststone really doesn't offer a lot in option for adjustments but will figure out something. I have tried Adobe a couple of times and just do not like it, as I usually prefer things to be simple.......must be the farm upbringing, lol

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Mar 21, 2019 18:04:44   #
gtilford Loc: Woodstock, Ontario, Canada
 
gtilford wrote:
Thanks very much ecobin, I do not mind at all that was why I put a downloadable image up. Will take a look at what you did. I do not use Topaz for anything other then AI Clear and Faststone really doesn't offer a lot in option for adjustments but will figure out something. I have tried Adobe a couple of times and just do not like it, as I usually prefer things to be simple.......must be the farm upbringing, lol


Ok so took the bit of advice I was given and once again......
Topaz AI Clear to start
then in Fastone I lowered the gamma by -5, increased saturation by 20, lowered shadows by -5, increased highlights by 20 and contrast by 5. then cropped to a 14x11 size just incase I wanted to frame it.

This is what I got

BTW thank you both for taking time to give me ideas to improve my images after I have managed to take them, I really appreciate it


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Mar 22, 2019 06:07:51   #
DavidPine Loc: Fredericksburg, TX
 
gtilford wrote:
So just found this section and since I do mostly birds and some wildlife maybe a bit of landscape, I would really like to improve my skills so I am posting this and hope that you can give me a few pointers on what I could have done to improve the shot
Thanks
Greg


Lacking contrast and a bit busy with the branches especially coming across the subject. An average to below average image. This is a critique section and not a post-processing section which some people misunderstand. Hearing the hard truth regarding images is more helpful than you might realize. When offering up an image for critique you should put forth your best-effort with a title and then remain quiet. An image has to speak for itself or tell its own story. A person critiquing an image shouldn't show you how to re-process but they should remain apart to describe what is good or bad based on proper photography techniques.

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Mar 22, 2019 10:27:18   #
AzPicLady Loc: Behind the camera!
 
I am posting this BEFORE reading any of the other responses, because I don't want to be swayed by what others have said. I find this image nicely constructed with nice focus. The bird is sharp and the background is pleasingly out of focus. I like the placement of the bird in the frame. I also like the twigs and branches that surround him, as they sort of frame him in the picture while giving him location. The colours, while I believe them to be true to life, are a bit dull and the overall effect is an image without "punch." It's an excellent image, but might miss being seen because of the softer colours that are all in the same family. I don't know if adding a touch of yellow would help or not, but I'd probably try it. Did you use the "vibrancy" slider? I'd try that also.

All in all, this is a very pleasant shot.

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Mar 22, 2019 11:44:13   #
R.G. Loc: Scotland
 
There are many things that are a matter of choice and preference as opposed to being right or wrong. For example, the amount of pop that an image has. Most bird images have the pop factor turned up to maximum, but that doesn't mean that there's no room for softer bird images. Your first image is a bit on the soft side, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. It all comes down to what you want for it (often referred to as your "intention"). If you genuinely prefer your second image then that is obviously the direction that you want to head in and you should seek advice on adding pop.

The same applies to the amount of cropping. One school of thought states that anything which doesn't support the subject or isn't necessary for the "story" should be eliminated, whereas another school of thought states that context is no bad thing and in many cases it would be a mistake to overdo its reduction (often to the point of exclusion). Again it comes down to your preference or intention. Cropping can be used to focus attention on the main subject and make details more easily visible, but that's not always a necessity or a main priority. Sometimes generous amounts of context are necessary to create the required atmosphere or mood. Again it comes down to intention.

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Mar 22, 2019 13:38:19   #
clickety
 
INMHO, You should consider the eyes. The eye in the first photo has a clarity or sharpness, to me it’s ‘alive’. I don’t get that feeling of life from either of the other two. As for ‘pop’ most birds are able to survive by blending into the background. It’s your call on how much it should ‘pop’.

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Mar 22, 2019 19:30:33   #
magnetoman Loc: Purbeck, Dorset, UK
 
It’s a well composed shot, with the twigs both framing and placing the subject nicely. The bright ‘vee’ formed by twigs in the background are a distraction. The bird would benefit from a little more contrast, but not the background.

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Mar 23, 2019 21:48:39   #
GregWCIL Loc: Illinois
 
I like environmental portraits of birds (and other wildlife) but it is always a challenge to capture their environs without our introducing distractions. You nailed the focus on the bird which is tough to do among all those branches. But you have too many branches and twigs in the focal range so they do distract.
Also, what time was this taken. It looks to be mid morning maybe. The light is already fairly harsh, creating strong shadows. The birds eye is in the shadow so it doesn’t have that catch light which would give it more life. Get out earlier when the light is softer and warmer, then spend more time to catch him turned so the eye has a catch light.
The alternative is to use fill flash at about minus 1 to 3 stops. It will reduce (but not eliminate) the shadows and add a catch light in the eye. A little flash can also enhance feather detail although your photo is already very sharp. (I love what fill flash can do but I despise carrying around my long lens topped by a flash and Better Beamer, lol)
Only you know what the true color of the bird was. I would ignore suggestions to change the white balance if it makes the colors unnatural.
Hope to see more of your work.

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