Birds in Wisconsin
Feb 8, 2013 06:56:46 #
mac430
Loc: NE Wisconsin
Thank you Birdpix, bhowdy and Nikonian for hosting this forum! It has been very informative thus far.
I am fortunate to live close to a nature preserve that is frequented by many different birds throughout the year.
I am fortunate to live close to a nature preserve that is frequented by many different birds throughout the year.
Juvenile Bald Eagle
Gadwall
Canvasback
Woodduck
Northern Pintail
Feb 8, 2013 08:58:54 #
Yes...you certainly are fortunate to live near a nature preserve...great set...enjoyed them all :thumbup: :thumbup:
Feb 8, 2013 09:25:14 #
Feb 8, 2013 11:15:14 #
You've got some nice pictures there. You are blessed that you have such a great location close by.
A few pointers:
The Eagle is slightly out of focus but more importantly the sky is too saturated to be believeable. You can correct that in PP. Did you deliberately crop the wing tips or was that due to the closeness of the Eagle?
The Canvassback, Gadwall and Wood Duck are precisely focussed. Well done!
The Northern Pintail's head seems a bit soft. As you know, we always try to get the eye in focus although with this bird, there is little contrast on the head, so the camera may have had some problems there. It appears that the rest of the bird behind is well focussed.
I know that we can't always choose our vantage point but all of the ducks were strongly back lit. You've done well with the exposure and have good detail in the shadows but backlighting often leaves us with "Dead Eye". By that, I mean that there is no catchlight in the bird's eye to make it look alive. The other thing I would encourage yo to do is to get a little lower to the ground when taking shots of bird on water. You can often get better background separation and fewer specular reflections off the water. In addition, it is easier to achieve appropriate focus, too.
Mac, I'm not trying to beat you up here. You really have a nice set of photos. I am however, using your work to help teach people what I look for in my own photos and hopefully, help others improve theirs.
A few pointers:
The Eagle is slightly out of focus but more importantly the sky is too saturated to be believeable. You can correct that in PP. Did you deliberately crop the wing tips or was that due to the closeness of the Eagle?
The Canvassback, Gadwall and Wood Duck are precisely focussed. Well done!
The Northern Pintail's head seems a bit soft. As you know, we always try to get the eye in focus although with this bird, there is little contrast on the head, so the camera may have had some problems there. It appears that the rest of the bird behind is well focussed.
I know that we can't always choose our vantage point but all of the ducks were strongly back lit. You've done well with the exposure and have good detail in the shadows but backlighting often leaves us with "Dead Eye". By that, I mean that there is no catchlight in the bird's eye to make it look alive. The other thing I would encourage yo to do is to get a little lower to the ground when taking shots of bird on water. You can often get better background separation and fewer specular reflections off the water. In addition, it is easier to achieve appropriate focus, too.
Mac, I'm not trying to beat you up here. You really have a nice set of photos. I am however, using your work to help teach people what I look for in my own photos and hopefully, help others improve theirs.
Feb 8, 2013 11:36:51 #
mac430
Loc: NE Wisconsin
I appreciate your comments birdpix! No offense taken, I respect your insight.
The eagle picture was only cropped in PS. I clipped off one wing in my quick reaction shot, so I tried to balance out the photo by removing a part of the other wing. My quick reaction shot and not panning properly is most likely the reason for the softer focus on the eagle. The sky color was directly from the camera, not enhanced.
Thank you for the suggestions on the other duck shots. Folks like you have a much more experienced eye than me. You have given me a better perspective of what to improve upon, and I thank you!
The eagle picture was only cropped in PS. I clipped off one wing in my quick reaction shot, so I tried to balance out the photo by removing a part of the other wing. My quick reaction shot and not panning properly is most likely the reason for the softer focus on the eagle. The sky color was directly from the camera, not enhanced.
Thank you for the suggestions on the other duck shots. Folks like you have a much more experienced eye than me. You have given me a better perspective of what to improve upon, and I thank you!
Feb 8, 2013 12:01:06 #
mac430 wrote:
I appreciate your comments birdpix! No offense ta... (show quote)
The Eagle shot is definitely affected by motion blur. It is also a bit underexposed which may have resulted in the deep color of the sky. Are you shooting in JPG? If so check to see that you don't have the camera set to a mode that would artificially enhace the blue sky. All of these concerns, except for the motion blur, can be adjusted in PP.
Feb 8, 2013 12:10:47 #
mac430
Loc: NE Wisconsin
Yes I am shooting JPG. And your analysis is right on.....I am shooting in "vivid" mode, which explains the sky. I've learned a lot today!
Feb 8, 2013 18:22:38 #
Damn! Nice BOWs.
Apply BirdPix's advice, and we look forward to seeing more excellent images in the future.
Apply BirdPix's advice, and we look forward to seeing more excellent images in the future.
Feb 8, 2013 19:02:02 #
mac430
Loc: NE Wisconsin
Wow, thanks for the comments N72! I hope to get out this weekend and apply what I've learned!
Feb 9, 2013 07:57:40 #
Just love it when we get significant info pertaining to the captures. Better... we will become!
Feb 9, 2013 13:09:14 #
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