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WC#486: Sitting Pretty
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WC#486: Sitting Pretty

by Steve Balke

Gallery: Weekly ChallengePosted June 7, 201160 views6 comments
This pair of white-crowned sparrows was recently enjoying a clear Spring morning in a park that was formerly the Quebec Zoo in Quebec City. They are perched on a stone post holding a steel railing (the black object in the center foreground) that was part of a fence along the path.

The bg here was very busy in the original. So I used Bokeh 2 to blur it a bit more.

All comments most welcome.

1D Mark IV, 400 mm f/5.6, 1.4x TC, hand held: ISO 500, 1/1000 s, f/9, 0 EV, 7.6 MP after cropping (48% of the 16 MP of the 1D Mark IV), slight NR, exposure adjustment, sharpening.

Comments

6 comments
Comment posted by Richard Teller on June 7, 2011 at 1:32 PM
You got the eyes of both sparrows in focus. The color of the perch works well with the birds and they stand out from the background well.
Registered on August 23, 2010, 1162 Posts, 6692 Comments
Comment posted by RL Potts on June 7, 2011 at 4:16 PM
2 for the price of one! I definitely like the way the rear bird emerges from a shadow. I am glad you attended to the bokeh. Is that diorite?
Registered on November 24, 2003, 188 Posts, 985 Comments
Comment posted by Gary Minish on June 8, 2011 at 2:50 AM
A nice capture with nice crisp focus on the birds, Steve. The extra blur of the background definitely adds to the 3D affect.
Registered on February 4, 2006, 625 Posts, 3583 Comments
Comment posted by Barb Pflaum on June 8, 2011 at 10:47 PM
Nice detail, it really shows up well in the larger version. Also, you did a good job with Bokeh 2.
Registered on January 14, 2009, 316 Posts, 2724 Comments
Comment posted by Steve Balke on June 9, 2011 at 5:22 PM
Thank you everyone. I was glad to see that all of you commented that you like the bg from Bokeh 2. It is a very powerful program but using it for this type of shot really demands very painstaking selection of the subject in PS. Robert, regarding your question about whether the perch could be diorite: unencumbered by geological knowledge, I think most likely it is granite. From what I can learn about diorite, it's a relatively rare rock and I suspect, therefore, expensive.. There were many of these fence posts. :smile:
Registered on June 18, 2009, 229 Posts, 2915 Comments
Comment posted by Varina Patel on June 14, 2011 at 3:44 PM
The blurred background works well here - nice job with the selection. This is a nice shot - the soft light lets us detail in both shadows and highlights, and I always love to see the catch-light in the eye of the birds. Very nicely done!
Registered on August 22, 2008, 45 Posts, 1578 Comments