This lady showed up yesterday morning. No others as yet. Oddly the first year birds usually seem to come later,but I’m pretty sure that this is one. I managed to catch this transition pose when she was grooming and I liked it.
What technical feedback would you like if any?
Anything you might note. Not much done to this other than the crop and some detail enhancement in the plumage.
What artistic feedback would you like if any?
Should I bring that right side in a touch more?
Pertinent technical details or techniques:
7DII, Sigma 150-600 C @ 600 mm, Hand held from stepladder to get the top of a distant fir to vary the background, f/8, 1/2500, iso 800, manual exposure. Processed in LR & PS CC. Cropped from a horizontal original to an 8.7 MP vertical.
(If backgrounds have been removed, etc. please be honest with your techniques to help others learn)
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Dennis, your effort to get eye-level with the bird is admirable. Hopefully you will get a lot more of them this season. The connection with the audience is strong here because of the eye contact and the pose is interesting, too. You have handled the whites really well. I love the way the light hits the head. It opens up the tonality of the darker plumage really well. I like the clean BG a lot. I am wondering about lowering the contrast of the OOF object on the lower right. I think the focus is a tiny touch behind the head (more around the chest), have you tried Topaz AI Sharpen masked to the head for this? I think it can bring this image up another level.
Thanks, Adhika. I tried downloading AI Sharpen and it failed on me, probably due to my abysmally poor internet connection (a penalty of living in the country, compensated by having birds like these). I’m meeting someone in town tomorrow at a coffee shop and I’m going to try downloading it then.
@Dennis_Plank, good luck tomorrow. That software when used judiciously can be really powerful. I tried it on the file and it worked really well!
Sweet! Fine detail, interesting pose, and clean BG.
Please send some down here - we just put up a martin condo today - and I’m sure we will be chasing sparrows out of it for awhile. Have not actually seen a martin - lots of swallows though - so maybe I have impossible expectations.
I’m not sure about the “BOAS” tag - that seems a little derogatory for what can still be an excellent image. What does the tag accomplish?
S
The BOAS tag is a bit tongue in cheek as far as I’m concerned, Sandy.
This Martin is early. Michelle reported it to the state Martin guru, who was very surprised and suggested we report it on ebird as well. I did so and their automated system indicated that she wasn’t expected this early. However, I think our records show the first ones arriving the end of March last year, so she’s not horribly early. I’m guessing she got caught up in the Tree and Violet-green Swallow migration.
