Busy Background or No Background: One problem of having a bird feeder hanging in a tree with an opening for the camera to do it's work and the birds seem to prefer not being exposed to...

Shooter41 Loc: Wichita, KS

One problem of having a bird feeder hanging in a tree with an opening for the camera to do it's work and the birds seem to prefer not being exposed to attacks in the open, is that you get a lot of limbs in the background that can distract from the subject. Another problem is that removing the back ground during editing can cause viewers to struggle to know the environment the subject is in. My questions to UHH photographers is what might a third option be that lessens the distractions in the background but still orients the viewer to the environment the subject is in and if not, which image is better? (The limbs behind the feeder are close, so it isn't realistic to blur the background by using F2.8 aperature instead of F8 and still get a sharp image of the subjects as they move around.) Suggestions are welcome.

(Download)

uhaas2009

This is a Tough one to answer. I feel like the busy background is not distracting it’s more like the background is telling the story too

steve Loc: Iowa

Hard to decide. Busy I suppose/

BrentHarder Loc: Southern California

Shooter41 wrote:

One problem of having a bird feeder hanging in a t... (show quote)

In my opinion the easiest way to accomplish your goal is in Photoshop. Stack image number 2 on top of number 1 so they line up perfectly. Then use the opacity slider to adjust how much of the background white you want to block out or keep in.

Quixdraw Loc: x

Do some minor pruning behind the feeder and / or adjust feeder position?

Shooter41 Loc: Wichita, KS

uhaas2009 wrote:

This is a Tough one to answer. I feel like the busy background is not distracting it’s more like the background is telling the story too

Dear uhaas2009... Even though the background is busy, I also feel it helps tell the story and makes things more
realistic for the viewer. I have considered moving the bird feeder into a stand alone position on a Shepard's hook with a baffle, but then I have to position the pole at least ten feet away from trees to avoid squirrel jumping over the baffle and tearing up the feeder. Thank you for your in put.

Shooter41 Loc: Wichita, KS

BrentHarder wrote:

In my opinion the easiest way to accomplish your goal is in Photoshop. Stack image number 2 on top of number 1 so they line up perfectly. Then use the opacity slider to adjust how much of the background white you want to block out or keep in.

Dear BrentHarder...I like your solution of using Photoshop; stack the images and use the opacity slider to block out whatever I don't like. Being a old guy who is still using CS4 and never tried stacking and sliding the opacity slider. I will enjoy doing some homework to learn how to put your suggestion in action. You are a scholar and a gentleman!

Shooter41 Loc: Wichita, KS

quixdraw wrote:

Do some minor pruning behind the feeder and / or adjust feeder position?

Dear quixdraw....Thank you for your input. I think I may adjust the feeder position by hanging it on a Shepard's hook with a baffle ten feet away from trees so the squirrels will not be able to jump over the baffle. (I already pruned my apricot tree half to death to clear a path for my camera as well as allow the feeder to hang so the birds will face the camera so I won't have to take pictures of their rear end.) I can place the Shepard's hook in a position where the white vinyl fence in the background is far in the distance and will be blurry at F5.6.

BrentHarder Loc: Southern California

Shooter41 wrote:

Dear BrentHarder...I like your solution of using Photoshop; stack the images and use the opacity slider to block out whatever I don't like. Being a old guy who is still using CS4 and never tried stacking and sliding the opacity slider. I will enjoy doing some homework to learn how to put your suggestion in action. You are a scholar and a gentleman!

Thanks Shooter41 for calling me a scholar and a gentleman! lol
I'm running CS6 and I'm an old guy too! I'll take your two photos and give you an idea of what I'm talking about. Would you mind if I posted the finished concept here on your post?

Shooter41 Loc: Wichita, KS

BrentHarder wrote:

Thanks Shooter41 for calling me a scholar and a gentleman! lol
I'm running CS6 and I'm an old guy too! I'll take your two photos and give you an idea of what I'm talking about. Would you mind if I posted the finished concept here on your post?

Dear BentHarder...I'm glad that I'm not the only old guy on UHH who uses CS4-6! Please feel free to work on my two photos and post the finished concept here on my post. Thanks pal. I look forward to studying what you do and you becoming my mentor.

joecichjr Loc: Chicago S. Suburbs, Illinois, USA

Shooter41 wrote:

One problem of having a bird feeder hanging in a t... (show quote)

We need the background for our frame of reference....

BrentHarder Loc: Southern California

Shooter41 wrote:

Dear BentHarder...I'm glad that I'm not the only old guy on UHH who uses CS4-6! Please feel free to work on my two photos and post the finished concept here on my post. Thanks pal. I look forward to studying what you do and you becoming my mentor.

Dear Shooter41, I have put together several options for you to lessen the busy background.
1. The first one has the background white area blocking out 84% of the white area to soften the sticks in the background.
2. The second one has the background white area blocking out 71% of the white area to soften the sticks in the background.
3. The third one has the background white area blocking out 50% of the white area to soften the sticks in the background.
4. The fourth one has the background white area blocking out 37% of the white area to soften the sticks in the background.
5. The fifth one has the background white area blocking out about 37% of the white area to soften the sticks in the background and I put the background sticks in a filter called Gaussian Blur which is the same as if your shot your image with a very low number F stop for the background. Maybe one of these could be what you were trying to accomplish.

1

(Download)

2
2...

(Download)

3
3...

(Download)

4
4...

(Download)

Shooter41 Loc: Wichita, KS

BrentHarder wrote:

Dear Shooter41, I have put together several option... (show quote)

Dear BrettHarder... Thank you so much for spending your time to not only break down your softening background technique, but you even gave me five examples so that I can actually see the end result in real time. Let me say that your fifth example looks like what I have been wanting to be able to do myself. Now I realize that you are not only a gentleman and scholar, but a genuine photography friend as well. If you ever want to take indoor soccer photographs, perhaps I can return the favor. (That is my wheelhouse when we are not in a pandemic.) Shooter41

BrentHarder Loc: Southern California

Shooter41 wrote:

Dear BrettHarder... Thank you so much for spending... (show quote)

Thanks for the kind words and the invite to photograph soccer with you. I really don't get out to Kansas to much since I live in California so I will have to decline your offer. If you ever want to photograph surfers when you take a vacation to California, look me up!