Post your best bird shots!

[Richard Lane]

Thank you Bill and Joel!


Your suggestions are greatly appreciated!


I've never used the burn or dodge tool, but I did buy Photoshop last year (Cyber Monday Sale), so I think it's about time that I spend some time learning how to use the program.


I'm not happy with the feather detail either and I would love a longer lens, as some of theses are cropped slighlty. My new thing is trying to walk around with the 300mm + 2x @600mm to see if that is the correct focal lenghth for me or if it will be the 500mm. I will wait for Version II either way.


Rich

[HDNitehawk]

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Thank you Bill and Joel!


Your suggestions are greatly appreciated!


I've never used the burn or dodge tool, but I did buy Photoshop last year (Cyber Monday Sale), so I think it's about time that I spend some time learning how to use the program.


Rich
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Rich


I had one observation as well. The First is the best with the sun hitting the underside of the bird. But the color's look dull to me like you took the saturation down. Maybe that is the true color of this bird, but I would have thought the brownish feathers would have had more of a brassy color to them.


Rick

[Richard Lane]

Hi Rick,


I don't think I touched the saturation. This bird is actually brown, black and white. I can post the original and some other pictures of the bird on the ground in good lighting. I believe I adjusted the exposure, highlights and WB slightly in Aperture 3.


I remember the sky was very, very, blue (almost too blue, perhaps from the CPL) with a slight magenta tint, so I warmed it up slightly and turned the magenta down a tick or two on the slider. When I increase the exposure and highlights, I then get grainy brown feathers.


I need a lot of work on my PP. I really appreciate everyones contributions, as I would really like to get better. I'm used to exposing for uniforms and jerseys, not feathers! [:P]


Rich

[Richard Lane]

...The First is the best with the sun hitting the underside of the bird. But the color's look dull to me like you took the saturation down. Maybe that is the true color of this bird, but I would have thought the brownish feathers would have had more of a brassy color to them.

MK IV 300mm +1.4X @420mm


Here is the "original #1 from above post" Brant Goose (Thanks Bill) in flight straight out of the camera, without any PP. Maybe, I should stop trying to fix my images? []








Here's what they look like floating. @600mm f/7.1 1/800sec ISO 800 CPL












Easier Pickin's when they're on the ground, as he's checking me out with the "Big White Lens." @600mm f/7.1 1/320sec ISO 800 CPL






I think these are all the same type of Brant Goose?


Rich

[HDNitehawk]

Rich


I assume these were with the 1D so I will share this.


I use DPP, and with the 1D IV it seems my normal process from standard picture style. starts at +2 Contrast, with the black on the Goose a minus on highlights, then almost always +1 on Saturation, Sometimes saturation goes to 0 and looks right, but anything below 0 or above 1 just doesn

[Richard Lane]

Yes, they were all with the 1D MKIV. I have not been using DPP. I use Aperture. I checked and I didn't use any saturation adjustments on any of these.


No, I have Highlight Tone Priority off, but I have the blown-out highlight alert on.


Do you think I should turn on HTP and if I do when should I turn it off?


Thanks about the comments!


I won't be around my computer until tonight.


TTYL,


Rich

[HDNitehawk]

Do you think I should turn on HTP and if I do when should I turn it off?

Rich


I went to a Canon seminar put on by Canon a while back. One of the things they mentioned was that birders use highlight tone enabled because of Black and White birds. I had always disabled it.


I asked the question in this thread a while back if any one else enabled highlight tone priority when birding and several did. So I started using it.


It does seem to make a diffrence when you have a black headed goose like the one you took a pic of. It is easier to get the detail on the feathers.


So now I usualy have Highlight Tone Priority Enabled when birding.


Rick

[Bill W]

Rich....the "floating" goose is a Canada goose. Though the 2 are similar looking; note the white marking. The Brant's is located on it's neck while the Canada is located on it's cheek and the Brant is smaller.


To add to the confusion I have heard of hybrids; Canada/Brant, but I don't believe I have ever seen one.


HTP; I used it w/my 40D, but I read something somewhere that it wasn't very good and having it on took way from the pic. I've never tried it on my 7D, but I do have the high light alert on.


Here's an example of me trying to expose for the eye of a Red wing black bird.....


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....the background reeds were over exposed, but I was able to bring them back in LR and further in CS3.


I can't explain the eyeball detail in the water....


Bill

[HDNitehawk]

HTP; I used it w/my 40D, but I read something somewhere that it wasn't very good and having it on took way from the pic. I've never tried it on my 7D, but I do have the high light alert on.

Bill


I had read the same, that you loose some sharpness. I do know that when I started using HTP that I could get more detail out ofbirds with blackand white as well. I really noticed the diffrence with my Duck Dog, a black lab.


Thats a good pic of the black bird, nice composition, I think the eye diffrence is the angle of the catch light in the eye reflecting on the water. Its more in the middle of the eye in the reflection.


Rick

[Bill W]

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