The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
To borrow a phrase from Nathan Lane’s character in The Birdcage (one of my favorite movies ever). While sitting and waiting for woodpeckers to come to their favorite tree, this little Butter Butt approached and I held my breath waiting for it to come into view. Flash - he gave me this cheeky, little pose. OMG, my first Yellow-rumped warbler photo that doesn’t suck. These guys nest in the yard and flitter all around in the trees, but very high up most of the time and when we get full leaf out, they disappear and I only hear them singing.
Specific Feedback
So it’s a big crop and I still like it. I probably could have upped the Exposure compensation more, but I didn’t want to blow out his chin feathers. What could I do to improve the processing?
Technical Details
Handheld sitting on the ground leaning on a tree
Lr for a bit of exposure boost, a big crop and to pull the whites and highlights down. Tried to keep the blacks rich, but not too deep. Boosted vibrance & saturation, wb adjustment. Into Topaz Sharpen to bring up detail and knock back noise.
I don’t see anything at all wrong with your processing on this one, Kris. The bird is nice and sharp with a great pose, the exposures look good, though possibly the throat could go up a bit (theoretically we have both subspecies out here, but I almost always see the Audubon variety in our yard and they have a yellow throat). I like the rich blacks in the tree trunk. Very well done.
I’m just on my iPhone (and my rear end, waiting for weather to clear) but this looks wonderful!! Perfect pose, great tonalities and colors! I love the perch and BG! No suggestions except keep hanging out in your yard!
Thanks to @Dennis_Plank, @Diane_Miller & @Shirley_Freeman - they are little cutie patoooties aren’t they? Glad the tonalities all seem to jibe. They’re so tiny and fast and I was just in the right place at the right time hoping what I’ve learned about songbird photography would come to the fore. If I can stand the bugs, I may sit in the yard with the camera tomorrow. I just got a cage for the G9 and have some video stuff to try out.
Thanks @Merv - when they move around a lot more of their yellow body feathers show and it’s fun to watch them. As I paddled back to the dock the other day there was one in the trees just on the edge of the river and it didn’t fly off as I approached so I sat just below it to watch it feed in the branches. Lots of Butter Butt on display then!
I wish there was such a thing that wasn’t a pain, @Diane_Miller - I have a head net, but it’s hard to see or use a camera wearing one. The black flies and gnats get in your hairline, eyes, nose and ears. The mosquitos will just bite you and you can wear layers and deet, etc., to keep them off, but it’s the ticks. The ticks. I pulled 10 of them off me from my day clearing my section of the Ice Age Trail. Three more the other day from just taking my kayak out of the water and loading it. Right now I wouldn’t go sit in the woods for anything. No wonder moose and other ungulate populations are declining - their babies are literally being sucked dry by these things. Winters aren’t cold enough to kill them anymore and so everyone suffers.
Very light weight — not that hot in our relatively dry climate. But I only work outside in the mornings when it’s cool. 70-71, cloudy, 30% humidity and a light breeze. It’s in my contract.
