I got a dozen shots of the quail in different poses before he decided I’d had enough, and at first glance the IQ looked the same in all (wretched) but on a closer look this one cleaned up (denoise and sharpen) better, so I’m also posting it. It’s hard to know till you try… I was handholding the medium-heavy rig with the back of my left hand braced on the window sill of the car. Not comfy. (Hadn’t been smart enough to bring a beanbag.)
Specific Feedback Requested
All comments welcome! Should this be in Human & Fauna because of the fence?
Technical Details
Minimal work in LR – just lightened the Shadows slider a bit. Cropped to 40% of the original landscape format. Didn’t dare try to get closer. Into PS for Topaz Denoise then Topaz Sharpen, with some 50% opacity masking on small overdone areas of each. Cloned two very OOF wires behind the bird and softened the bush just enough to hide the bad bokeh of that lens. Punched detail in the fence a bit.
This one cleaned up pretty well, Diane. In place of a beanbag, a good alternative to stash in your car is just a foot or so of foam pipe insulation. Since it’s already slit you just raise the window a bit and slide it over. It makes a reasonable substitute and is easy to stow under a seat.
Thanks, @Dennis_Plank – that’s a great idea about the foam insulation! My beanbag is large and heavy and bulky to handle quickly when needed. Also noisy.
Diane, I always love face on shots of birds, and this one is no exception. I also love how the BG compliments the color of the bird as well. So glad he posed for you long enough to get several shots. Looks good to me.
Nice shot, Diane. I like the colors of the quail against the soft BG and the soft bush adds to the environmental effect keeping it from being completely bare. The wooden fence adds a nice touch too. Good job all away around.
I guess I prefer this one over the other, if for nothing else, the quail appears larger in the frame. I really like the composition with the complementary background and bush and the fence adds a rustic/rural appeal.
Thanks, @Shirley_Freeman, @Donna_Callais, @Allen_Brooks and @Jim_Zablotny! I felt with the face less obvious here that I should crop a little tighter to make the quail bigger in the frame. I should probably crop the first one tighter, too. The IQ is better than I thought it was going to be.
The feathers between the eyes look fairly sharp Diane. Good of him to give you a chance at a few images. These are very tough to shoot as they spook easily. You have a terrific pose with a side angle of the body front and a magical head turn. The fence post and the brush in the background are just perfect for me.
