With a bit of saturation on the bird:
Critique Style Requested: Standard
The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
This is from a couple of days ago – good poses with interesting bugs that show well are not common, but this one works for me.
All comments welcome!
The usual global tonal tweaks in LR, then into PS for some dodging and burning.
Wow Diane - love this! Especially the pair of unusual bugs. Glad I’m not a bluebird chick. Details, pose, and background are grand too.
What was your lighting source? Was flash used?
Debating if a boost in saturation would be a benefit.
Thanks, @Allen_Sparks ! They find bugs unlike anything I’ve ever seen. I neglected to mention – yes, fill flash, well off-camera with a radio trigger. It was a very cloudy morning and the fill light came out too flat. I have wound up tweaking the position and number (1-3 flashes) every time I shoot them. I try to not overpower the ambient light but want to keep some sculpting and it’s never the same each day. And I can only see them from their shady side, which is frustrating. So this one did come out a little too flat and your saturation suggestion helped – just did it on the bird and had to back down the blue/cyan as it got a little unreal.
I like the color boost in the repost!
A lovely image, Diane. We’re still not sure whether ours have claimed a box yet-they are very sneaky about it, but I’m hoping for some shots of this quality later. I personally prefer the colors in the original, though emphasizing the orange doesn’t bother me, the blue looks rather overdone for a female-at least up here.
Thanks, @Allen_Sparks and @Dennis_Plank ! Blues always bother me with these guys. I think they need to be tamed in the Calibration Primaries. I’ve messed with it before and better have another look.
These bluebirds are really performing for you, Diane. Getting those bugs adds a lot of interest and they’re nice and sharp, just not appetizing. I prefer the original, though could see warming up the breast color. Excellent detail and nice background.
Thanks, @Allen_Brooks! I think I’m still not quite dialed in on the color. Will work on it further.
