Bullrushes are in ! +rehash

Kingfisher
It seems like Kingfishers have suddenly latched onto bullrushes being a good perch ! This was taken from a hide whilst waiting for waders (which never turned up )on a mud scrape.
D200 Sigma 100- 300mm
400ISO 180th @f8
Contrast down in camera.
Levels
Quite a large crop as you can see.
Cheers
JohnR

it doesn't look the most comfortable perch, but it does add to the image. The background competes a little, but still a very attractive KF image.

Matt

Thanks Matt
Yes I agree about the background, but at least I suppose it conveys a feel for the habitat, and there wasn't much I could do about it in such a short time .Maybe I could blur it some more.
Cheers
JohnR

Hi John,

Lovely shot of this hunting Kingfisher. Background issues have been mentioned but i guess you did not bring a lawn mower along this time..

I do see a greenish cast to the image though (look at the white cheeks turning a bit greenish) so i tried to correct that somewhat for you in PS.

greetings,

Jeroen Stel

Thanks Jeroen . I can see it now.
I've tried to correct it in PSPro. I think its about right and looking at the original again I ,m not sure about the crop so I'v etried the conventional.
Cheers
JohnR

Hi John,

Think this crop is much better but i still see some discoloration in the whites in the Kingfishers cheecks and there still seems to be a bit of a yellow/green cast present.
I used another type of color correction this time (black-white-grey point correction) and it looks better this way though it's hard to do with a small JPEG file as i tend to loose loads of quality.

Also used some "lens blur" on parts of the BG to soften it a bit.

Hope this helps..

greetings,

Jeroen Stel

Jeroen
Sorry but I think there is too much green gone from the wings and it looks pale to me. The whole bird is not as I remember it. I think we can play around with this all day and everyone has different views. It was by the way taken in very late afternoon hazy sun and the backdrop was in part shade.
Its maybe a case of trying to make a picture look as we think it ought to. Where does one stop.?
Cheers
JohnR

Jeroen's background with the original bird in portrait format...that would be my pick ;)

I think you are right John..
As said it is easier to correct with an original RAW file. I guess the truth is somewhere in the middle but with color correction it is always very hard to determine what's right.

I have been using a lot of different color correction methods from correcting in LAB mode to determining black, white and grey points to removing the overall color cast but in the end they all give me different results.

I would like to hear what others are using to color correct their images though..

greetings,

Jeroen Stel

Occasionally I will average blur the shot and use the grey picker on a levels layer, and mask/set opacity to suit. Having found out about luminosity masks (goodlight.us) I am keen to put them to better use but am not really sure what I am doing. Processing is one of my weaknesses and judging by your site, Jeroen, not one of yours

I personally found LAB quite fiddly, but good for sharpening.

So many versions to choose from now...

Personally I would go with John's portrait version, however, like so much else in post processing, I guess it just comes down to individual preference.

David

Hi John

Ditto David's comments - nice one.

David

Nice shot, think I prefer the portrait version.
Lee

Nice shot preer the square shot but with a bit more blur in the background

A great shot John.
I prefer the portrait version and the original colours looked ok on my monitor but now that it's been pointed out, there just may be a hint of a cast, but not much.
Difficult isn't it lol.
Well done.

Geoff.

Hi John, its the first one for me. A kingfisher in its natural habitat. The background works as is for me, it shows the habitat but doesn't have anything too distracting to remove my attention from the wonderful bird.

Scott

Lovely KF image John, lovely natural habitat shown.Amazing to watch them on these bullrushes.

I thought your first one looked good but your portrait version has the edge I think John.

Phil.

I'd just like a chance to photograph one! Portrait for me too.

Thanks all.
A certain forum member suggested I stacked all four images !together
Cheers
JohnR
PS And reading a recent post on cropping stacking,baiting etc we are all "cheating " anyway- so what's the point anyway?