Fiery Thgroated HB with and without raindrops. Which do you prefer?
What technical feedback would you like if any?
Removing the raindrops carefully left some unwanted transitions in the BG. To smooth them out, I used a tilt/shift blur and the healing brush. How do people feel about blurring the BG?
What artistic feedback would you like if any?
Pertinent technical details or techniques:
iso 2000, 300mm PF, f7.1, 1000th, D500, moderate rainfall, dark and under the canopy,
no flash, handheld
no blurring of BG
(If backgrounds have been removed, etc. please be honest with your techniques to help others learn)
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I much prefer the image with the rain drops. Looks great, feels natural for that environment. The background on the other image feels like it was dropped in as it is too smooth and does show some signs of the cloning work.
Same here, David. The rain is beautiful. I like how the BG somehow mimics the pattern of the bird’s feather but I think I would see if there is some way to reduce the contrast like in the first image without the rain. Maybe you can combine the best of both worlds?
I like the raindrops, David, but I must admit that I find the blurred background far less distracting. The colors are so intense in the original background and transitions relatively abrupt that it’s a bit jarring. Now if you could put the raindrops back in over the blurred background…
I also like the raindrops. It gives the viewer a feeling for the weather, how the hummer doesn’t seem to mind the rain. Image is sharp, great composition and the colors are beautiful.
