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newbie from Canada wants tips on his goose (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter apuddeph
- Start date
dubaron
getting started
overall i think it's a decent shot for ID'ing the bird. i had a co-worker look at it who has no interest in birds and his comment was "it's a goose, i see them all the time"
he was much more harsh with my robin shot in another thread. "who wants to see the back of a bird, look, it's freakin grey and looking over it's shoulder like you are stalking it. don't be that guy" haha, at least he's honest.
some things to consider:
1 - the bird is in the center of the frame, doing nothing. it's just another picture of a bird - don't forget the rule of 9ths (3rds). if there was a big empty space to the right, it might make one wonder what the heck the bird is looking at.
2 - the bird doesn't pop out compared to the background - it looks flat - i know, a tripod would have helped get more of a razor focus, but the aperture settings can also be used to push/pull the bird from the background.
3 - i'd like to the uncropped version, you might be able to add some tension with the foreground color and the background and maybe offset the bird from dead center.
4 - include the camera, lens, ISO, aperture, and shutter speed info - knowing those can go a long way to sorting out some issues.
5 - what do you think is good or missing or whatever with the picture. we are often our own worst critics, but we can also be totally honest with ourselves in terms of what is wrong with it.
he was much more harsh with my robin shot in another thread. "who wants to see the back of a bird, look, it's freakin grey and looking over it's shoulder like you are stalking it. don't be that guy" haha, at least he's honest.
some things to consider:
1 - the bird is in the center of the frame, doing nothing. it's just another picture of a bird - don't forget the rule of 9ths (3rds). if there was a big empty space to the right, it might make one wonder what the heck the bird is looking at.
2 - the bird doesn't pop out compared to the background - it looks flat - i know, a tripod would have helped get more of a razor focus, but the aperture settings can also be used to push/pull the bird from the background.
3 - i'd like to the uncropped version, you might be able to add some tension with the foreground color and the background and maybe offset the bird from dead center.
4 - include the camera, lens, ISO, aperture, and shutter speed info - knowing those can go a long way to sorting out some issues.
5 - what do you think is good or missing or whatever with the picture. we are often our own worst critics, but we can also be totally honest with ourselves in terms of what is wrong with it.
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If anyone wants to take a minute that would be great -- I realize this is far, far below others on the site but one has to start somewhere...
anyway in case it helps I now know more about this shot since I put in somebody's analyzer program I just found
300mm
1/500
f 5.6
ISO 100
these good choices?
thanks
T
anyway in case it helps I now know more about this shot since I put in somebody's analyzer program I just found
300mm
1/500
f 5.6
ISO 100
these good choices?
thanks
T
Hi
thank you!
yes I know the goose is common as all hell I just needed something easy to practice on
I used a canon t3 camera
f 5.6
ISO 100
300mm handheld
1/500 shutter speed
the lens was the 75-300mm kit lens
I agree the rule of thirds might have helped me, the original framing unfortunately can not help that but its okay -- next time I take a picture I will try to keep that in mind
I also agree the bird may not "pop out" as much as it might from the background
why do you think that is?
my settings or my equipment? or my shot?
cheers
Tony
thank you!
yes I know the goose is common as all hell I just needed something easy to practice on
I used a canon t3 camera
f 5.6
ISO 100
300mm handheld
1/500 shutter speed
the lens was the 75-300mm kit lens
I agree the rule of thirds might have helped me, the original framing unfortunately can not help that but its okay -- next time I take a picture I will try to keep that in mind
I also agree the bird may not "pop out" as much as it might from the background
why do you think that is?
my settings or my equipment? or my shot?
cheers
Tony
Brian2
Well-known member
Hi, I think it'd look cleaner if it had some more picture to the birds right giving the viewer to wonder what it's looking at, and It would look sharper if the background was either the green (grass) or all blue (water) This could be achieved by getting lower and keeping the background further away than the distance between you and the bird.
I'm no expert but I know how I use these basics to improve my own pictures. Of course then photoshop helps to sharpen them too.
You are right to put the work in on larger more common species first though.
I'm no expert but I know how I use these basics to improve my own pictures. Of course then photoshop helps to sharpen them too.
You are right to put the work in on larger more common species first though.
dubaron
getting started
i think you need to focus on the composition and use a tripod to get that razor sharp "wet" look that makes the subject stand out.
are you shooting in RAW mode?
dubaron
getting started
here is a quickie look (using MSPAINT!!) at shifting the placement within the frame. i added the same amount to the right as i cropped from the left and then trimmed it down to get it to "feel" right. i'm not sure if your camera is a full image in the viewfinder, my D70 isn't and i usually have to crop a little to get what i was after, but sometimes it works to my advantage, esp. with moving objects that i am following for a pan shot.
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Hi
Thanks to you both
I am not in RAW mode for that picture --- I should make a point to take pictures in RAW so I can tweak them more afterwards I suppose
I appreciate Brian's comments too about setting up the background with more thought to try and improve subject sharpness -- I kind of like the two banks of green in a way as it frames the overall picture... but I definitely hear what you are saying and I will keep in mind in the future
Do you think part of it is the kit lens just doesn't get all that sharp? Or is it just that I did not shoot w tripod?
cheers all
thanks for the taking the time with an absolute beginner - nice community here it seems
T
Thanks to you both
I am not in RAW mode for that picture --- I should make a point to take pictures in RAW so I can tweak them more afterwards I suppose
I appreciate Brian's comments too about setting up the background with more thought to try and improve subject sharpness -- I kind of like the two banks of green in a way as it frames the overall picture... but I definitely hear what you are saying and I will keep in mind in the future
Do you think part of it is the kit lens just doesn't get all that sharp? Or is it just that I did not shoot w tripod?
cheers all
thanks for the taking the time with an absolute beginner - nice community here it seems
T
dubaron
getting started
inexpensive glass will always be a compromise. my 70-300 is really soft at 300 but razor sharp at 200. it was a $500 lens, not $1500 lens, so i expect some compromise. this was never a problem for my railroad stuff, but it means i'll have to get closer to the birds, which is problematic most of the time.
i think a ghillie suit is cheaper than a razor sharp 300mm lens, but you might raise some eyebrows at the local park
digital cameras have been a blessing - instead of tossing hundreds of dollars of "not exactly right" shots, we can shoot until we find the magically image. the tough part is filtering out all those "almost"
i think a ghillie suit is cheaper than a razor sharp 300mm lens, but you might raise some eyebrows at the local park
digital cameras have been a blessing - instead of tossing hundreds of dollars of "not exactly right" shots, we can shoot until we find the magically image. the tough part is filtering out all those "almost"
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dubaron
getting started
now that i'm at home i messed about a little with the original untouched image to give you an idea of how a little tweaking here can make things pop a little. i mirrored the background to add on some to give the composition some interest and then started in on the image tweaks.
i used Photoshop CS5 (PS12) for the following tweaks.
the most noticeable adjustment is the curve which i just put a slight S into to make the darker colors have a richer, wetter look. i tweaked the saturation to get the top band of green to mirror the grass. i then tweaked the vibrance to get the blue in the water to come thru. very mild adjustments overall for a wetter looking image, that i hope isn't overcooked.
what do you think?
i have a .psd of the original with some tweaks if you have Photoshop i can send it to you. you can see what i did by looking at the history.
i used Photoshop CS5 (PS12) for the following tweaks.
the most noticeable adjustment is the curve which i just put a slight S into to make the darker colors have a richer, wetter look. i tweaked the saturation to get the top band of green to mirror the grass. i then tweaked the vibrance to get the blue in the water to come thru. very mild adjustments overall for a wetter looking image, that i hope isn't overcooked.
what do you think?
i have a .psd of the original with some tweaks if you have Photoshop i can send it to you. you can see what i did by looking at the history.
Attachments
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monoglypha
Well-known member
Re-worked goose
I think your picture is a very good effort...yes it is to central in the frame but that can be fairly easily remedied. I also like the two tone bg and just think it is a little too bright and needs desaturating, also wonld benefit from a little sharpening.
A good bird to learn with regardless of how common they are.
Hope you don't mind mind, I have extended the canvas on the right and the top and cropped a little from the left so the bird is less central.
I also de-saturated the colours in the bg lightened the birds head and sharpened the Image.
Steve
I think your picture is a very good effort...yes it is to central in the frame but that can be fairly easily remedied. I also like the two tone bg and just think it is a little too bright and needs desaturating, also wonld benefit from a little sharpening.
A good bird to learn with regardless of how common they are.
Hope you don't mind mind, I have extended the canvas on the right and the top and cropped a little from the left so the bird is less central.
I also de-saturated the colours in the bg lightened the birds head and sharpened the Image.
Steve
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monoglypha
Well-known member
re-worked goose
Also added a bit of noise reduction
Steve
Also added a bit of noise reduction
Steve
thanks!
Thanks much to both of you
I see the value of decentering the subject much better now absolutely, and will not forget that in future shooting when I have that much time to set up.
I really like the de-saturating (probably the biggest issue now that I see it) and sharpening of the piece, really very nice work...
This is a great forum and website mainly because of selfless and talented folks like you. I am amazed you guys are willing to take the time, I really appreciate it, thank you!
I will keep at it and hopefully improve some
Tony
Thanks much to both of you
I see the value of decentering the subject much better now absolutely, and will not forget that in future shooting when I have that much time to set up.
I really like the de-saturating (probably the biggest issue now that I see it) and sharpening of the piece, really very nice work...
This is a great forum and website mainly because of selfless and talented folks like you. I am amazed you guys are willing to take the time, I really appreciate it, thank you!
I will keep at it and hopefully improve some
Tony
