I was so thrilled to see this female Cardinal in the woods. She didn’t seem to mind me being there and taking her picture. I feel like Cardinals are hard to capture because they always seem to be hidden in the leafy trees or underbrush.
Specific Feedback Requested
I want to know if the exposure looks right. The original image was a bit dark so I adjusted it, even though the actual histogram looked good. Maybe because of the snow? Also I have another shot. I like the one where she’s looking at me best, but I think the other one might look better, not sure. Of course any other thoughts are welcome.
Technical Details
Is this a composite: No
Nikon D3400
ISO 800
300mm
f/6.3
1/400
First - thanks for taking a shot of the female. Many girls are “drab” and the males get most of the attention. She is lovely, but underexposed I think. Snow throws off many a photographer - the meter wants to make the snow gray (like it does everything else), so you need to overexpose by a stop or two to get the snow white. I’d pull up the exposure and the mid-tones, too. Maybe clone out the branch behind her head if you can. So hard to get birds to pose how you want them!!!
I like both poses, but I think I prefer the profile. The snow on her face is wonderful!
Hi Vanessa,
Both shots are underexposed. You can bring the exposure up quite a bit without blowing out the whites. What software are you using for processing? If Lightroom, try 0.5 to .75 up additionally on exposure and then adjusted the whites, blacks, contrast and clarity to your liking.
Vanessa, a nice look at this young lady. I agree with the others that it is a bit underexposed, and most likely the light meter was fooled by the white snow, and tried it’s best to make it gray. It certainly is something that can be fixed. I really like the second shot, because it is more of a face on and looks more eye level. Did you crop it? If so, if you have all of the tail feathers, I think I would include them. Nice shot, so glad she posed for you. Many times they do hide, like you said.
Hi Kristen, thanks for the feedback! I couldn’t repair the branch, but I cropped it a little more to hopefully detract. I think I like the side profile better too. Unfortunately there’s something wrong with her beak, but she gets to show her better side with the profile shot! What do you think about this…
Hi Terri!
I reposted the images. I use Pixelmator photo. I just have an iPad to work from. I don’t like Lightroom and Photoshop at least for my device. And I only really want to do minimal processing if I can. Maybe someday if I ever get a computer I’d like LR/PS.
Thanks for your feedback!
Thanks Shirley!
I reposted, does it look better? Also, I wasn’t able to get her full tail so that’s why cropped it the way I did. Just tried to make it look more like a portrait.
Thanks for your help!
Hi Vanessa, my thoughts pretty much align with Shirley. I like the second shot best because the direct eye contact mitigates the steep shooting angle. Good job on the repost. Nice color on the bird and feather detail.
Well done Vanessa. Repost look good. One thing i do in the field is to take a test shot of the current light conditions in which I might be shooting. Then I check the histogram on my camera to see what the best settings would be. You will fond that you can get better data for your photos and reduce the amount of pp’n work you may need to do.
Like Allen I like the nice eye contact in the second photo although both are appealing.
Thanks for the tip! I do that, but my problem is I’m either hiking and pretty much always on the move so I forget to keep looking when I get into a different environment, like woods or clearings and I see something and just start shooting!
Yes, it is helpful to others. To do so, you can click on the pencil next to the title, add + Repost and then click on the check mark below the title, and it should add it.
I have, as of late, been working very hard on trying to slow down and look at my settings as long as I can see that the animals aren’t going anywhere. This photo is from a winter ago. Thanks again for your interest and help!
Hi Vanessa. I’ve been out of the loop the last couple of days, but this is a nice pair of images and your rework was good. One thing I’d think about is backing off on your zoom-that’s one of the great things about having a zoom. Most of us, when we start out want to get as close a shot as we possibly can, but it’s not always the most pleasing composition. Often backing off a bit and showing more of the environment makes for a more pleasing image. Just something to keep in mind. If the bird gives me enough time, I’ll do both.
Do you think this looks better as it’s a more environmental shot? I couldn’t get her whole tail because of where she was and where I was on the trail, I tried different angles but this was the best. Amazingly she let me work with it for awhile! I liked it cropped because I really thought the snow on her face looked so cute, but maybe this looks better?
Hi Vanessa. Since you couldn’t include the tail in the original shot, I think you were sensible in going with the tighter crop. Without the tail, this version looks too much like an accident, whether it was really intentional or not. If the tail were hidden by a snowy branch, you could have included room for it, even hidden and it would have worked. If it was blocked by something like a rock, then it probably wouldn’t have worked. The close-ups you posted were fine, I just wanted to point out alternatives.
Thank you so much for your interest! I was pretty much at the base of the tree on a narrow trail. I would’ve had to climb a tree to get her whole body and she would be gone and I don’t think I should be climbing trees in a preserve!
