Finally a good exposure of a beautiful bird; lighting is everything
Jul 7, 2019 23:45:24 #
I have taken literally 100's of pictures of this species of bird over the last 10 years. Very difficult bird to get a good exposure of (at least for me). The majority of the bird is jet black, but the crimson or scarlet rump is a "neon" bright red. To get any detail in the black, the reds blow out. Often there are no "blinkies" because it is only the red channel that is blown (unless you are looking at a color channel histogram).
This bird used to be called a Passerini Tanager or Cheri's Tanager but both species are now combined into one species-Scarlet-rumped Tanager.
What this bird shows me is that lighting is everything. Bright beautiful sunlight will blow out the reds every time. This picture was taken in a light rain with heavy overcast. I used a Canon 5d4 with a 500 mm f/4.0 lens at a range of about 15'. It was taken with an ISO of 4000 and Topaz DeNoise AI was used. This was cropped only to meet UHH specifications.
This bird used to be called a Passerini Tanager or Cheri's Tanager but both species are now combined into one species-Scarlet-rumped Tanager.
What this bird shows me is that lighting is everything. Bright beautiful sunlight will blow out the reds every time. This picture was taken in a light rain with heavy overcast. I used a Canon 5d4 with a 500 mm f/4.0 lens at a range of about 15'. It was taken with an ISO of 4000 and Topaz DeNoise AI was used. This was cropped only to meet UHH specifications.
Jul 7, 2019 23:51:44 #
Jul 7, 2019 23:53:04 #
Jul 8, 2019 00:06:59 #
NMGal wrote:
Wonderful job.
Thank you. I love this species; typically they are common and cooperative. But, damn, they are difficult to get a good exposure on. Females are orange and black flecked. Easy to get great shots.
Jul 8, 2019 00:08:14 #
Retired CPO wrote:
Beautiful bird and great photo. Where did you find him?
Thank you. They are beautiful birds. These are common in Central America. This particular bird was shot in north central Costa Rica, near the town of La Virgen.
Jul 8, 2019 00:15:45 #
This is an example of the difficulties in getting good exposures on this bird. The rump and back are scarlet red, not orange or yellow. The following attachment will show what that looks like when the red channel is blown out.
This picture was overcooked in post because I was attempting to get some of the detail back and I failed miserably. Actually made the picture worse than the original.
This picture was overcooked in post because I was attempting to get some of the detail back and I failed miserably. Actually made the picture worse than the original.
Jul 8, 2019 00:20:33 #
Jul 8, 2019 01:18:40 #
A fabulous job. You've captured the colors beautifully. Congratulations!!! Patience does win out with due persistence. Mahalo for sharing.
Jul 8, 2019 05:28:37 #
Jul 8, 2019 05:51:23 #
UTMike wrote:
Excellent work!
Thank you for that nice compliment.
Jul 8, 2019 05:52:12 #
JoAnneK01 wrote:
A fabulous job. You've captured the colors beautifully. Congratulations!!! Patience does win out with due persistence. Mahalo for sharing.
Thank you. One does hope that, eventually, the "photo gods" will smile for you.
Jul 8, 2019 05:52:26 #
Jul 8, 2019 07:17:54 #
Congratulations and yes, the even exposure of that rainy-day is just what you needed for this little guy.
Nailed - it.
Nailed - it.
Jul 8, 2019 09:48:08 #
Jul 8, 2019 10:09:23 #
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