Critique Style Requested: Standard
The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
found at Niqually National Wildlife refuge take from board walk at about 50 ft.
Nikon Z9
Nikkor 100-400 1.4 TC
560mm
f/8
iso900
1/325 sec
Tripod
Topaz AI and basic adjustments in LRC
Hi Daniel, really nice capture of this hummer on her nest - what an interesting behavior image - I’ve never seen a hummingbird nest. Details on the nest and bird look good to me as well as the exposure. I like the subject placement in the frame and seeing the other branches with lichen adds interest. My only nit (and it is a very minor nit) may be to reduce brightness on some of the lichen on the right if possible. Just using the burn tool may do the job. Very nice image - well done!
Thanks. I had never seen a hummingbird nest either. A bird watcher pointed it out to me. Lucky find!
Very good, Dan. Detail looks excellent and I love the setting. Hopefully it won’t become too popular with folks. I believe you use LightRoom, and the local adjustment brush with the highlights slider pulled down would probably do a great job on the bright lichen that Allen mentioned. I find it a little more delicate than the burn tool and it doesn’t seem to gray things out as much. The nice thing about the local adjustment brush is you can add all kinds of things to it, like a bit of saturation to bring out the green tone in the lichen if it goes too gray.
Hi Daniel,
What a great find and capture! 
This is my first time seeing a hummingbird nest too. The size of it can’t be much different than a baseball or a small fist. I can see where it would be easy to miss.
Wonderful composition and the details are great in my view.
The lichen on the nest itself is unusual and very appealing.
I think that Allen has a good point on the brighter lichen in the right side of the image but it is minor. There are many ways to handle it if you’re interested in lowering the brightness, another way is to create an exposure mask in Ps and raise the gamma (which makes it darker), then use the offset slider within the exposure adjustment window to blend it in.
It really is minor though.
I’m enjoying your hummingbird shots!
Well done!
Edit: I was writing my response at the same time that Dennis was writing his, his suggestion to use highlights and saturation in Lr is a better way than using an exposure mask in Ps, sometimes I forget about Lr and ACR.
I’m kind of laser focused on getting better at using Ps at the moment.
Thank you. I will try the methods suggested. BTW, I would never have seen this nest were it not for the volunteer bird watchers at the refuge. Anybody reading this who is close to Nisqually might consider going there now. There is also a great horned owl nest with two owlets. It was a bit far away for my gear so the photos are not good. A 600mm with TC should do the job.
FYI @Merv and othrs: Hummingbird nests (for our species) are closer to golf ball than baseball ~1.5 inches.
Yep, nests are TINY! Like 1/2 of a walnut shell. Seriously. We had one nesting way up in an ash tree in the yard a few years ago and we watched with a spotting scope. The nest is made of lichen, plant fibers and spider silk so it is very stretchy which it needs to be if a couple of nestlings are going to be raised in it. We could see them squirming inside it as the nest itself flexed and stretched. Kind of funny.
This is a terrific find and I hope she isn’t disturbed into abandoning it and the kids. I think you have some excellent advice on how to make an already good image even better. If luck holds you will be able to get more shots of her as she raises the babies to fledging status.
Wonderful capture!! (I’ve never seen one either!) I second darkening the brightest lichen, best done in Lr with the adjustment brush, where you have the best tonal overhead to bring down the brightest tones. I’d also consider lowering the brightness and saturation of the BG leaves. That could wait till PS if you normally process that way, but it could be done in Lr as well.
And who would have thought that the nests would be stretchy!? But what a great idea for squirmy kids!
