With six of these birds appearing simultaneously at the feeding station enjoying the grapefruit I had the chance to try more shots in order to try and improve the sharpness..
I was trying to retain feather definition and colour.
Canon 1D3 canon 800mm Tripod HD head.
f/7.1 1/125sec ISO 400 800mm. RAW to lightroom and PS4 to resize for web the latter being new to me but acting on advice from last post.
Thanks John I'm trying get there in the end. This location has weather -40 to 120 in the peak of summer with 476 species throughout the year sit and wait along they come. Bit like London buses sometimes all at the same time and I don't know where to point.
A cracking bird Barry, but I’m sorry, it just doesn’t sit right with me, it’s the shadows.
There appears to be little or no shadows on the actual bird, and with this quality of light there should be. Looking at the shadows on the perch generated by the oriole, the light appears to be coming from behind the bird, and the burnt out area on the tail tends to support this.
Can I make a few suggestions.
Take along a pair of secateurs, some plant/cable ties, electrical tape and a “Mickey Mouse” tripod, I use two Hama: Star 75 tripods, £10 from Tesco’s and near enough the same from Amazon, or $14 American. Try “Wal-Mart” for similar.
Using the above, you can easily attach a suitably compatible perch to the man made ones.
If there isn’t anything to which you can attach your own perch, then this is where the tripod comes in. You can attach your perch to the handle, this gives you complete control of the perches orientation re your camera.
Finally, keep in your minds eye, the image(s) you are after and position yourself accordingly, to the “kill zone”, bearing in mind the position of the sun.
Ray
Sorry mate but you seem to be obsessed by what you call "shadows " yet in many of your own shots there aren,t any !!
I think it may be a litle confusing to advocate the use of two tripods to hold perches when you yourself have many times said that you prefer things as they are naturally. ! I am confused and maybe some others are. I think I know what you are getting at but am struggling to understand your expanation.
No offence- just confused.
John R
When you say that I’m obsessed by what you call "shadows ", you couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact I’m no more fixated with shadows, as I am with what is commonly called “mush”. I have one overriding criteria in mind, when I comment on an image, and that it is correct to what you would actually see with the human eye. I frequently think that images containing “mush” are truly excellent images, it’s just that I consider them to be more pictorial in content, as against natural history, and should be designated as such.
You go on to say that and I quote “yet in many of your own shots there aren,t any !!”, shadows that is. Now thank you for the compliment/praise, as it shows that I have achieved what I was intending, and I have mastered the available light. I always endeavour to have the sun behind me. It’s rare for me to use flash, and I don’t use Photoshop to enhance my shots, anything that I do do, in post processing I always declare.
Saying the above, I do have one hang up, and that is when I see a blinkered approach/attitude in photography, or anything else come to that..
Re the above shot. Look at where the legs grip the perch, and the shadows generated from them, also there is a faint shadow which is obviously generated from the body, also on the perch, but it closer to the camera than the body is. So you tell me how the viewed side of the oriole, is so well illuminated ???
Now, about shadows being in an image. Look around where you are sitting, everything has a shadow, it might be faint, but it is there. Never forget, “Light illuminates, shadows define”, so you need shadows to give depth to an image.
You say that you think it is a little confusing to advocate two tripods, I didn’t, I said that I use two, it is for the individual to decide if they want to use a tripod as a mounting platform for a perch, or not. Now why do I have two tripods.
1. I might want to put up two perches, in order to cover more options.
2. I might need a second mounting platform, to mount a temporary feeder etc..
3. I might decide to use a flash, and would need something to mount it on.
I hope this explains everything, there are other reasons, but I think the above makes the point.
To pick up an object which is local to where you are, and then use it as a perch, I would consider as maintaining the local habitats integrity.
Many thanks for your comment, in the future I’ll really try to cross the “T’s” and dot the “I’s”, so that there is no possibility of anyone misunderstanding what I write.
Finally, it is becoming increasingly apparent, that I would be best advised to keep my own council, and not make suggestions like those I have made above, and elsewhere. After all, no one else does.
Discussion
10 repliesI was trying to retain feather definition and colour.
Canon 1D3 canon 800mm Tripod HD head.
f/7.1 1/125sec ISO 400 800mm. RAW to lightroom and PS4 to resize for web the latter being new to me but acting on advice from last post.
Critique Advice Comment most welcome.
Thanks for looking
A little off the right canvas maybe and a little brightening of the darker areas of the head , but still good stuff.
Cheers
John
Harsh light is a big factor too.
Brett
minor nits covered.
Lee
Fran
There appears to be little or no shadows on the actual bird, and with this quality of light there should be. Looking at the shadows on the perch generated by the oriole, the light appears to be coming from behind the bird, and the burnt out area on the tail tends to support this.
Can I make a few suggestions.
Take along a pair of secateurs, some plant/cable ties, electrical tape and a “Mickey Mouse” tripod, I use two Hama: Star 75 tripods, £10 from Tesco’s and near enough the same from Amazon, or $14 American. Try “Wal-Mart” for similar.
Using the above, you can easily attach a suitably compatible perch to the man made ones.
If there isn’t anything to which you can attach your own perch, then this is where the tripod comes in. You can attach your perch to the handle, this gives you complete control of the perches orientation re your camera.
Finally, keep in your minds eye, the image(s) you are after and position yourself accordingly, to the “kill zone”, bearing in mind the position of the sun.
Hope this doesn’t offend.
Sorry mate but you seem to be obsessed by what you call "shadows " yet in many of your own shots there aren,t any !!
I think it may be a litle confusing to advocate the use of two tripods to hold perches when you yourself have many times said that you prefer things as they are naturally. ! I am confused and maybe some others are. I think I know what you are getting at but am struggling to understand your expanation.
No offence- just confused.
John R
When you say that I’m obsessed by what you call "shadows ", you couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact I’m no more fixated with shadows, as I am with what is commonly called “mush”. I have one overriding criteria in mind, when I comment on an image, and that it is correct to what you would actually see with the human eye. I frequently think that images containing “mush” are truly excellent images, it’s just that I consider them to be more pictorial in content, as against natural history, and should be designated as such.
You go on to say that and I quote “yet in many of your own shots there aren,t any !!”, shadows that is. Now thank you for the compliment/praise, as it shows that I have achieved what I was intending, and I have mastered the available light. I always endeavour to have the sun behind me. It’s rare for me to use flash, and I don’t use Photoshop to enhance my shots, anything that I do do, in post processing I always declare.
Saying the above, I do have one hang up, and that is when I see a blinkered approach/attitude in photography, or anything else come to that..
Re the above shot. Look at where the legs grip the perch, and the shadows generated from them, also there is a faint shadow which is obviously generated from the body, also on the perch, but it closer to the camera than the body is. So you tell me how the viewed side of the oriole, is so well illuminated ???
Now, about shadows being in an image. Look around where you are sitting, everything has a shadow, it might be faint, but it is there. Never forget, “Light illuminates, shadows define”, so you need shadows to give depth to an image.
You say that you think it is a little confusing to advocate two tripods, I didn’t, I said that I use two, it is for the individual to decide if they want to use a tripod as a mounting platform for a perch, or not. Now why do I have two tripods.
1. I might want to put up two perches, in order to cover more options.
2. I might need a second mounting platform, to mount a temporary feeder etc..
3. I might decide to use a flash, and would need something to mount it on.
I hope this explains everything, there are other reasons, but I think the above makes the point.
To pick up an object which is local to where you are, and then use it as a perch, I would consider as maintaining the local habitats integrity.
Many thanks for your comment, in the future I’ll really try to cross the “T’s” and dot the “I’s”, so that there is no possibility of anyone misunderstanding what I write.
Finally, it is becoming increasingly apparent, that I would be best advised to keep my own council, and not make suggestions like those I have made above, and elsewhere. After all, no one else does.