Shooter41 Loc: Wichita, KS

I want to thank everyone for their recent helpful suggestions on how to better edit my bird images to help viewers eyes want go right to the subject of my creations. This morning I woke up to "Little Guy" helping himself to the birdseed I put out for him. So I made use of the suggestions you shared with me the last couple of days to assist my subjects in standing out more; recede the background and inviting viewers to take a good look at how proud and happy a subject like "Little Guy" is. I continue to invite helpful suggestions from members to continue improving my photos. I give everyone permission to upload my image of "Little Guy" and feel free to edit it themselves to improve it if they know a better way to edit images and show their edit to everyone. I am hoping that we raise the bar on good photography as we have a lot of fun. I enjoy learning new things. Don Marler (Shooter41)

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robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

The dark areas are totally gone. You really needed fill flash to lighten the dark areas.
Also a bit tighter if possible either with zoom lens, get closer or crop, the bird is the subject and the feeder is just setting.

Shooter41 Loc: Wichita, KS

Dear robertjerl...Thank you for you responding and making suggestions. You are right that I needed fill flash to light dark areas, but I am shooting inside my home through a kitchen window glass at a subject that is 75 feet away in my backyard. So, using a fill flash isn't impossible. Also my shutter speed and wide open aperature already have my ISO higher than I would like to avoid "noise," so cranking up the ISO even further to open up shadows is not an option. I agree that a tighter shot would be better, but my Sony RX10 IV telephoto is not sufficient to take a closeup of a tiny bird 75 feet away and avoid seeing pixels on a close up. So I need to ask Santa for a F2.8 Canon 300 mm telephoto to go on my EOS Canon full frame camera, so that I can reach out that far and crop to create the composition that I would prefer.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

With small birds there is no such thing a lens that is too long. But then the problem is can you pick it up?

Ourspolair

I think that you should increase the ISO to at least 500 and use f8 and 1/500s or higher if you hope to get better images. Shooting through glass is tough - some people make a lens hood out of a plumbing plunger to avoid reflections off the glass. That is a cheap solution. I don't think that the noise will be too bad at ISO 500.

Shooter41 Loc: Wichita, KS

Dear Ourspolair...Earlier, I thought of and tried increasing the ISO to open up the the shadows in the images, but discovered that the sun coming high and directly out of the south when I raised the ISO to open up the shadows, completely washed out the highlights on the southside of the bird feeder and anything white on the birds and the white vinyl fence in the background with me stuck at F2.8 to create bokeh. (IE...The sunlight is so bright and the contrast so great that it is beyond the capability of my camera to record both highlights and shadows at the same time. So I was left with the question, "Should I expose for the highlight details and leave the shadows totally black, or should I expose for the shadows and have the highlights completely blown out?" After carefully thinking about your suggestion, I realize that I thought I had to leave my camera aperature set on F2.8 to get the bokeh I wanted. Tomorrow early morning I will try shooting at 1/500th second; F8; and ISO 500 to see if having detail in both the shadows and highlights is MORE IMPORTANT than having a blurry background. I know I will enjoy the added depth of field going from F2.8 to F8. I closed all of the other windows in my kitchen and shot in the dark to avoid shadows on the window glass I shoot through which solved the reflection problem. I will let you know how my test shots early tomorrow morning turn out. Thank you for your well thought out suggestions. Shooter41.

russraman Loc: New York City

Any chance you have a photo of "The Big Guy" meeting with Hunter and the Board of Burisma in Ukraine?

Shooter41 Loc: Wichita, KS

No. But I am sure it would bring a good price if someone did have one.

olemikey Loc: 6 mile creek, Spacecoast Florida

What I do in situations like this (low cost method) is some sort of reflector to put more light up for darker areas, upper/lower or even with subject (or wherever to your own taste). There are many reflector types available including homemade, also you could consider a remote flash or light unit, or even a flood light, though the reflector could be almost anything that will reflect enough light to brighten little bird bodies...Cute pic too!

crafterwantabe Loc: Mn

Good one

Shooter41 Loc: Wichita, KS

Dear olemikey...Thank you for your great idea. I have a 2' X 3' sheet of shiny stainless steel I didn't use when I repaired my pump shed that I could use as an outdoor reflector. I can attached it to a pole at a height that is even with my subjects and aim it south toward the dark side of my birds when the sun comes from the north. How did you get so smart? Thanks. Don Marler (Shooter41)

Shooter41 Loc: Wichita, KS

Dear crafterwantabe...Thank you kindly. Shooter41

olemikey Loc: 6 mile creek, Spacecoast Florida

Good solutions often come from DIY "repurposing".... I don't know how smart I am, but I'm thrifty!!! Love DIY solutions.. Believe it or not, one of my favorite "relectors" is one of those folding/accordion (or roll-up style) car front windshield aluminium foil sunshields. No matter where I am, I have a reflector if I'm in my Jeep, and since they are pliable they are easy to carry, and very inexpensive!! I like the one for the Jeep Wrangler size windshield, not so tall or wide, but does the job! All our little "snowbirds" have flown in for the winter, so my backyard birding is ready to get back in high gear...when the weather is a tad drier (TS/Hur. ETA just passed by), so now I'm ready for some dry fall weather!! Have fun!!

raymondh Loc: Walker, MI