I think this is a pretty nice close-up of this Hummingbird. I think some people are going to be critical of the amount of room we’ve left around the bird but in this case, I think it works. Nice job.
Dan, Really excellent feather detail in this fellow! bright eye and and an unusual pose, as well.
Yes, I think it is quite tight in the frame, especially on the bottom and right. It’s always tempting to crop tightly around a nice subject like this, but more room would balance the image and not squish his wing and tail. I’d suggest roughly the same amount of room on the bottom and right, as on the top above it’s head.
Great catch!
Wonderful detail and unusual pose. Nice tonalities. Definitely more room needed for my taste – just a little, especially at the bottom. IO would soften the 2 bright cyan areas in the LL — 50% opacity cloning would work well there.
Very nice catch Daniel. Love the pose and the details/exposure are great. Agree with the suggestion to add more room especially on the bottom. There is only one hummer (ruby-throat) left in my garden as well.
Much better! If you tone down the distracting areas at the bottom of the frame to more closely match the very lovely UR, you will have a stunning image! Try 50% opacity cloning – it’s a secret weapon!
Diane - I agree that I need to tone down those distracting areas. I am an editing idiot, likely because I hate sitting at a computer. Is opacity cloning in LRC or PS. Can you recommend a simple tutorial? I try to do everything in LRC.
It’s in PS – just make a new layer (so you can burn bridges if necessary) and use the clone tool. Set a soft brush of appropriate size with opacity to between about 30-60% for different areas and clone from one area to another. Do many small brush strokes to cover up the most offending areas. You’re a painter now!
It gives a result that is unlike any other technique and so much better than blurring. You might be able to do a little in LR by lowering saturation and contrast in those areas.
Here’s a cloned result. Should also have gone over the lighter green area on the left edge.
This little girl is awesome Daniel. I don’t really have an issue with the crop since this is such a unique pose. I think the added space is good though. Your feather details are excellent. The BG is also good. I can see some of the suggestions provided making this even better.
Thanks, Ed. I have learned two new editing skills by posting this bird: how to add space and opacity cloning. This is what makes NPN so valuable to an amateur like me.
