Mockingbird

Gallery: AvianPosted August 24, 20173,940 views8 comments

We have quite a few Mockingbirds in our yard, and they seem to think that they own it. I took this through my window with my Canon 5D Mark III, and Canon 300 mm L f2.8 with 2X teleconverter this afternoon. Settings f6.3, 1/400, ISO 320, on tripod. Cropped to 83% of full frame. Comments and critiques are welcome.

Comments

8 comments

Comment posted by Bill Leggett on August 24, 2017 at 8:41 PM

The open framing and comp are nice, Shirley. Mockers have been constant and welcomed performers in my area all my life. It's our state bird.

Registered on July 21, 2004, 706 Posts, 3233 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on August 25, 2017 at 9:18 AM

I like thd way the Mockingbird is framed in this one, Shirley, and the detail in the bird looks good. It looks to me as if the bird has picked up some green tone, but that could well be natural due to reflected light on it, so it's personal taste on whether to adjust it or not. One thing you might consider trying is to select the eye and brighten it a bit. When I do that, I'll usually put the eye on a separate layer and set the zoom so I can see the entire image while I'm adjusting the eye. That way it's easier to keep it looking natural than if I adjust it when I'm zoomed in on it.

Registered on January 28, 2008, 1767 Posts, 23192 Comments

Comment posted by Kathy Snead on August 25, 2017 at 10:34 AM

Shirley

Love the detail on the bird and the positioning. The background is gorgeous. You might want to take out those upper two twigs on the left as they seem to detract from the bird a bit. Also , if possible, try a brush to change the color tint on the bird. I would start by upping magenta and mid tone contrast ( clarity in LR) and see where that goes.

Very pleasing photo.

Best
Kathy Snead

Registered on April 6, 2017, 104 Posts, 397 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Ditch on August 25, 2017 at 5:11 PM

I don't mind the twigs above the bird, and I think this composition works as posted. But there's a strong yellow color cast to the entire image, making the mockingbird look unnatural. That's easily fixed in post processing by using the neutral eyedropper on the back of the bird. Once the color cast is removed the image can be strengthened by a bit of brightening along with a better black point.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 1031 Posts, 12705 Comments

Comment posted by Shirley Freeman on August 25, 2017 at 6:09 PM

Thank you, one and all. I especially appreciate Richard making the corrections. I can now see the difference! For some reason, I just wasn't seeing it. I guess it is like the way I type sometimes, I am possitive there are "no mistakes"! Thanks.

Registered on May 27, 2017, 77 Posts, 844 Comments

Comment posted by Hans Overduin on August 26, 2017 at 8:34 AM

Agree with most that has been written already. The composition works excellent for me as presented, the correction on the cast as well. Nice one ! Hans

Registered on August 31, 2011, 491 Posts, 3807 Comments

Comment posted by Allen Brooks on August 26, 2017 at 2:28 PM

I really like the setting and the background. A very nice composition. The original has a somewhat painterly feel to it.

Registered on July 27, 2011, 262 Posts, 2597 Comments

Comment posted by David Schoen on August 27, 2017 at 11:23 AM

Well composed. The color and the repost is definitely an improvement. This is a serene picture.

Registered on November 6, 2006, 1213 Posts, 4587 Comments