The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
We had a cloudy but dry a couple of days ago and I decided to try higher ISOs. It worked well! There is never much variety in my local area but I’ll settle for what I can get.
Specific Feedback
All comments welcome!
Technical Details
Very minor global tonal adjustments in LR and a little dodging and burning in PS. Some food removed from his face. Very slight crop for composition.
Hi Diane, love seeing the subtle crown on this bird - adds some flair to this otherwise brown beauty. Love the curvy perch, soft BG, details on the bird and the overall composition.
Did you use any noise reduction? ISO 6400 would demand it from my R7 but your R5 may handle it just fine on its own. All looks good in this image.
Thanks, @Allen_Brooks, @Saundie, @Allen_Sparks and @David_Bostock! Here’s a crop (added above) of the original file that will hopefully be displayed without much done – it’s 2159 on the long side. Exported from LR with no resizing or sharpening. The exposure wasn’t adjusted, only highlights and shadows. I doubt it would show here if I hadn’t done denoise, but the very slight sharpening is seductive (Topaz, Low Light with the Automatically Detect slider on).
Next time I shoot them I’ll go for even higher ISO. Faster SS and more DOF will be welcome. Fine detail has to start taking a hit soon, and dynamic range for sure, but with cloudy light that’s not so much a factor. The main thing I notice whenever I redo an older file is the lower dynamic range of the older bodies.
That lower dynamic range thing happens to the best of our older bodies Diane. . . . That said this is a great rendition of this sparrow, and I too love the subtle golden crown. Details, colors, setting, are all really nice.
What a beauty, Diane. Glad for you to have them back again this year. The detail looks really good. Nice head turn, good highlight in the eye, a seductively curvy perch and a very pleasing background. Did you have to crop this very much or is it nearly full frame? I generally don’t shoot much higher than 12800 ISO but the new bodies are pretty remarkable and even better than that are the programs designed to remove noise and keep detail. They are getting so good you can probably go to 25600 ISO now a have a keeper so long as you don’t have to crop much and can fill the frame. Great catch, Diane!
A lovely shot of the Golden-crowned Sparrow, Diane. I didn’t know they wandered that far south. We usually have them all winter and sometimes a pair will hang around during the summer, but it’s pretty unusual.
Thanks, @Ed_Williams, @David_Haynes and @Dennis_Plank! David, I just took a little off the bottom and left for better balance – this is 90% of the original frame. Dennis, they are very common here in winter. I’m sure they have been around for several months and I just haven’t been paying attention.
