Posted by John Robinson on April 25, 2012 at 8:46 AM
Mistle Thrush
Wanted one of these at a pool for years.
All the water about but they still use the pool. Missed a Tree Pipit and was just about to pack up when this turned up.After this shot it sat there motionless for minutes. I let it carry on bathing and then got a couple more. Out of all the species I have done at pools (and its a few) this has to be the most nervous I have ever photographed..
D7000 Nikor 70-300
640 ISO 180th @f9
Slight crop.
Levels etc Paint Shop Pro.
White balance auto warm.
Cheers
JR
Posted by Barry Southon on April 25, 2012 at 9:38 AM
John
One very productive pool quality continues.
Question as always, do you rely more on the ability these days with digital on adjustments in PP ? Or do you aim to get the settings correct in camera? My reason for asking clearly with a wealth of experience you display using film was such a different regime has the approach changed significantly?
Posted by John Robinson on April 25, 2012 at 1:25 PM
Hi Barry
A very good question ! It was so different in film days. You had to have it right and there was not the gear around. The high ISO's of today were unheard of. You could afford to buy a bit of extra film because you could sell stuff so easily as there were not many doing it. I still use some of the old ideas from film days though. I try and get the exposure as near as I can, and focus obviously. I drop the contrast a little in the camera as this helps a bit with noise at higher ISO's.
Itend to keep the white balance as is in the camera. I sometimes use neat image if there are noise problems. I think the biggest advantage on the digital side, is the highlights and shadows facility. I don't use photoshop so I downloaded a little program called image guru.Since I have had the new camera I have dropped the sharpening down a bit too( this helps with noise also )
I don't go after birds with a long lens very much as I haven't got the gear, so nearly all my stuff is hide work.
So basically in answer to your question, I use shadows and highlights - Levels to compensate for the dropping of contrast in camera. - cropping if needed,- and removal of small things like highlights or objects in the background. I very occasionally use the suturation setting if the shot was on a miserable day for example.
Hope that helps. If it was possible I would like it to be straight out of camera. Maybe there should be a forum for that !!
Cheers
JR
Posted by Jeroen Stel on April 25, 2012 at 2:16 PM
Wonderful colors and the water droplets on it's tail give it that bit of extra.
Well done!
greetings,
Jeroen Stel
Posted by David Sewell on April 25, 2012 at 5:11 PM
That pool of yours should be declared a NNR, or at least a SSSI. It must have one of the greatest densities of species in the country. Another fine image in the collection.
David
Posted by John Robinson on April 25, 2012 at 5:19 PM
David - Good one- It' s actually part of the SSSI on a National Nature Reserve.
Cheers
JR
Posted by Nick Mckeown on April 26, 2012 at 3:34 AM
Well worth the wait JR! Excellent capture and superb pose and details as always.
Nick.
Posted by David Taylor on April 26, 2012 at 4:41 PM
Well done, John!! I had one on my mistletoe during the winter but would it eat a berry? Would it heck!!
Posted by David Kjaer on April 28, 2012 at 8:15 AM
Very nice John - a species that appears still to be in serious decline.
David
Posted by Phil Ellard on April 29, 2012 at 2:21 PM
Discussion
10 repliesWanted one of these at a pool for years.
All the water about but they still use the pool. Missed a Tree Pipit and was just about to pack up when this turned up.After this shot it sat there motionless for minutes. I let it carry on bathing and then got a couple more. Out of all the species I have done at pools (and its a few) this has to be the most nervous I have ever photographed..
D7000 Nikor 70-300
640 ISO 180th @f9
Slight crop.
Levels etc Paint Shop Pro.
White balance auto warm.
Cheers
JR
One very productive pool quality continues.
Question as always, do you rely more on the ability these days with digital on adjustments in PP ? Or do you aim to get the settings correct in camera? My reason for asking clearly with a wealth of experience you display using film was such a different regime has the approach changed significantly?
A very good question ! It was so different in film days. You had to have it right and there was not the gear around. The high ISO's of today were unheard of. You could afford to buy a bit of extra film because you could sell stuff so easily as there were not many doing it. I still use some of the old ideas from film days though. I try and get the exposure as near as I can, and focus obviously. I drop the contrast a little in the camera as this helps a bit with noise at higher ISO's.
Itend to keep the white balance as is in the camera. I sometimes use neat image if there are noise problems. I think the biggest advantage on the digital side, is the highlights and shadows facility. I don't use photoshop so I downloaded a little program called image guru.Since I have had the new camera I have dropped the sharpening down a bit too( this helps with noise also )
I don't go after birds with a long lens very much as I haven't got the gear, so nearly all my stuff is hide work.
So basically in answer to your question, I use shadows and highlights - Levels to compensate for the dropping of contrast in camera. - cropping if needed,- and removal of small things like highlights or objects in the background. I very occasionally use the suturation setting if the shot was on a miserable day for example.
Hope that helps. If it was possible I would like it to be straight out of camera. Maybe there should be a forum for that !!
Cheers
JR
Well done!
greetings,
Jeroen Stel
David
Cheers
JR
Nick.
David
your so lucky to have these pools of yours
Ron