A pair of Kites has returned every spring for the last four years to nest in a neighbor’s tree just across the street from me. These birds often nest in large colonies on golf courses, where they defend their nests by flying out to attack the golfers. I don’t know if that is considered an official “hazard” when recording your score, or not!
What technical feedback would you like if any? Any
What artistic feedback would you like if any? Any
Pertinent technical details or techniques: Canon 60D, Canon 70-300 IS USM Zoom @ 300mm, f/6.7, 1/2000 sec., ISO 1000, EV -0.5, Spot Metering, Hand Held. Processed in Canon DPP, Photoshop Elements, and light sharpening in Topaz AI Sharpen.
(If backgrounds have been removed, etc. please be honest with your techniques to help others learn)
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Kites are very nice birds to get in the viewfinder. The busy branches in front of the bird didn’t help you out. Of more concern, there is a very heavy blue/cyan cast to the image. Here’s a color corrected version to remove the cast which was clear in the leaves as well as the plumage of the Kite.
Nice job getting a pretty clear view of this Kite between the branches, Terry. Since it’s a local resident, hopefully you’ll have more chances. I do see the cyan cast Keith referred to , but on my screen, his looks like it ended up with a bit of a magenta cast-perhaps somewhere in between?
In a shot like this, where you’re pointing up rather steeply and there are intervening branches, it helps a lot with the impact of the image if you can get a head turn with the bird looking down toward the camera. You can also provide an illusion of a shallower angle if you put the bird toward the bottom of the frame with plenty of room above it. I’d love to get a decent shot at any kite!
Thanks, Dennis. I honestly didn’t realize that photo had a blue cast to it until Keith mentioned it. I have several other shots of him that are better, color-wise. I did work it over a little and I’ll repost it below for comments.
I do have several captures of this bird sitting in the open. However, I chose this shot because I can see his eyes. Much like Northern Cardinals, Carolina Chickadees, and other birds, I’m sure, It’s very difficult to capture a photo in which you can actually see a Kite’s eyes. They have those dark feathers around their eyes which renders their faces featureless in most photos.
