After a few days away (from both camera and home) I’m back and can put up a couple more fun shots of this male Blackpoll warbler who passed through my yard earlier this month. My 15-foot high deck put me on a level as he and his mate fed on bugs that were all over the saplings on the edge of the woods. The light was gorgeous and the birds cooperative and entertaining.
I know the first one should have had a faster shutter speed, but I did crank it for the second one. The second one has that branch and leaves in front of the bird, but at least his head and wing are visible. It isn’t perfect, but I like it for its action and dynamic feel.
Specific Feedback Requested
Anything useful to improve is good with me.
Technical Details
Handheld with elbows on deck railing.
#1 (walking shot)
#2 (flapping)
Lr for initial RAW development to smooth tonalities, do lens correction, sharpening & nr. Some cropping and use of subject masks to isolate the bird for exposure, texture and clarity, inverted to reduce noise in bg even more. Then into Topaz sharpen for some detail enhancing. I sometimes change from the auto model selections it makes for results I prefer - a little less crunchy. Photoshop to remove a couple of pesky branches.
Very nice!! I love the vertical, and the leaf in front of the bird doesn’t bother me, as the others around it set the context for it. Lovely light, BG and detail.
Excellent, Kris. I didn’t notice the leaf in front of the second until you mentioned it. It fits the scene, so it works fine. The bit of motion blur in the leg of the first isn’t an issue for me. Stopping that kind of motion takes a surprisingly high shutter speed. Both images are great.
Thanks @Diane_Miller & @Dennis_Plank - glad the little branch isn’t as annoying as I thought it was. You know how it is, once you see something in your photo that bugs you just a little, but you can’t fix, it becomes a huge eyesore, LOL.
I really like the second shot. The color and detail pops nicely. The blurred background is pleasant. I like the pose with the open wing. The branch doesn’t bother me, seems to fit in with the vertical crop and vertical nature of the bird and large branch.
Thanks @Allen_Brooks - I was super pleased that flappy shot came out. He was repositioning on the branch and I had settings dialed in to catch him. Thank goodness I can refine focus using the focus ring on the lens. He moved slightly just before this and I lost the crisp focus on the eye for a second, but with focus peaking, got it back again. Phew.
You have done quite well with these blackpoll warbler images. I like the second one as it shows how these birds live–move, eat–move again, eat… Your post processing worked well and the blacks and whites are exposed perfectly…Jim
Thanks @Jim_Zablotny - they were such willing models. I watched an American Redstart for a bit yesterday and they hang out on the leaves much more. And too high up to make for good photographs unfortunately. The Indigo Bunting and the Hermit Thrush were around yesterday, too, so maybe I’ll get lucky with them.
Hi Kristen, really terrific to be able to catch these warblers doing what they do in the trees - special captures for sure. I like both images with fine details and capturing the essence of behavior of these birds.
Thanks @Allen_Sparks - if I tried now it would be far less successful as we have near total leaf out. Although it was 30 degrees a few minutes ago. Warmed up to a whole 34, lol.
