Blue Jay, Male American Goldfinch, Common Flicker

[Scottes]

Male American Goldfinch...
http://www.itsanadventure.com/postimages/AmericanGoldenFinch_7408.jpg

Common Flicker - I've never seen one before. This is a 100% crop, so pardon...
http://www.itsanadventure.com/postimages/CommonFlicker_7378.jpg

And the Jay was kind enough to sit still for a sec...
http://www.itsanadventure.com/postimages/BlueJay_7371.jpg

[marie]

really lovely to see such detail in the feathers, especially in the last shot

in the first and last shots it seems like they are posing for you
:)

[JZaun]

Nice Scottes,, that Gold Finch is lovely,, I've never seen one around here..

JZ

[PacAce]

Good shots, Scott, especially the #1 and #3 with their nicely blurred background. Believe it or not, I have a picture of a blue jay in that very exact same pose perched on a similarly bowed branch! :shock:

BTW, were the pictures (#1 and #3) really kind of desaturated or did you make it that way?

[Scottes]

BTW, were the pictures (#1 and #3) really kind of desaturated or did you make it that way?

You know, I had thought the Jay looked a bit odd... I think something's going on with my Capture One... Hmmm... Ahhh... I had switched it to ProPhoto RGB - I didn't mean to leave it that way.

Is this better? Or exactly the same? (Although I completely reprocessed it, I'd wonder about things if it were *exactly* the same...) But it still looks like the upper back has an issue - like just that section doesn't have enough contrast... Weird.

http://www.itsanadventure.com/postimages/BlueJay_7371-2.jpg

[PacAce]

BTW, were the pictures (#1 and #3) really kind of desaturated or did you make it that way?

You know, I had thought the Jay looked a bit odd... I think something's going on with my Capture One... Hmmm... Ahhh... I had switched it to ProPhoto RGB - I didn't mean to leave it that way.

Is this better? Or exactly the same? (Although I completely reprocessed it, I'd wonder about things if it were *exactly* the same...) But it still looks like the upper back has an issue - like just that section doesn't have enough contrast... Weird.

http://www.itsanadventure.com/postimages/BlueJay_7371-2.jpg

Yup, it's a little better although I think the blue can use another +20 to +25 in color boost. That should also take care of the upper back which looks like that because of the large area of gray feathers there. The background is just fine as is. I think the contrast is fine after you give the blue a little boost in saturation.

That blue jay really does look very nice. If it were mine I'd definitely have it hanging on the wall in my office at work! :D

[IanD]

Scott,
The jay is a Montreal Faded Jay ( as oppsed to a Toronto Blue Jay :oops: :oops: ) :lol: :lol:
Love the gold finch.

[ssim]

Great shots Scott (what a poet). I love the Blue Jay although I have to agree with Ian on the faded color. No more making jokes about our birds.

[scottbergerphoto]

Nice crops and colors. The reprocessed one is more saturated but the first is also pretty.
Scott

[KartGirlsMom]

I love the bird shots. I love Gold Finches. They seem like such happy birds.

[Scottes]

Thanks for all the comments folks!

Yup, it's a little better although I think the blue can use another +20 to +25 in color boost. That should also take care of the upper back which looks like that because of the large area of gray feathers there. The background is just fine as is. I think the contrast is fine after you give the blue a little boost in saturation.

Man, I have a really hard time changing something *that* much unless it's truly intended, like replacing a sky. If the color is off by +20 then I figure that I've got to try again. "Tweaking" doesn't bother me - "Changing" does.

Besides, this was Blue Saturation +6 and it started to look unnatural to me at +7...

Am I being too picky?


That blue jay really does look very nice. If it were mine I'd definitely have it hanging on the wall in my office at work! :D

Thanks. It's pretty sharp and no crop - took 7 attempts to fit him in without cutting off the tail. That would look decent at 11x17.

If it weren't for the color. :(

[PacAce]

Thanks for all the comments folks!

Yup, it's a little better although I think the blue can use another +20 to +25 in color boost. That should also take care of the upper back which looks like that because of the large area of gray feathers there. The background is just fine as is. I think the contrast is fine after you give the blue a little boost in saturation.

Man, I have a really hard time changing something *that* much unless it's truly intended, like replacing a sky. If the color is off by +20 then I figure that I've got to try again. "Tweaking" doesn't bother me - "Changing" does.

Besides, this was Blue Saturation +6 and it started to look unnatural to me at +7...

Am I being too picky?


That blue jay really does look very nice. If it were mine I'd definitely have it hanging on the wall in my office at work! :D

Thanks. It's pretty sharp and no crop - took 7 attempts to fit him in without cutting off the tail. That would look decent at 11x17.

If it weren't for the color. :(

Scott, if the blue jay looks natural on your monitor then one of us needs to have our monitors adjusted. And if it's me, then so does Sheldon and IanD. :wink:

[Scottes]

Scott, if the blue jay looks natural on your monitor then one of us needs to have our monitors adjusted. And if it's me, then so does Sheldon and IanD. :wink:

Good point. It doesn't look natural to me.


That's a good work-around for conscience issues. I can get away with a lot of stuff now... :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:

[Lamplight]

Nice work! I'm especially fond of the Blue Jay because I think they are beautiful birds, and I don't see them around here nearly as much as I used to. :(

Edit: Eek! My post count is 666! :shock: :lol:

[who10]

Is this better? Or exactly the same? (Although I completely reprocessed it, I'd wonder about things if it were *exactly* the same...) But it still looks like the upper back has an issue - like just that section doesn't have enough contrast... Weird.


First, the set is beautiful... I've gotta look into a feeder!

I think the second jay in your experiment does look better... a suggestion for the contrast and highlight detail... since you're using C1 try this. Take the exposure down until you see detail return to the white feathers (there may not be any). If new detail does appear, process an underexposed shot and overlay it as a layer onto the original at about 70% opacity - flatten and readjust levels. Bottom line, if there is detail in the underexposure you will be able to increase the dynamic range about 25%.

Real nice shots Scottes :D


Here are some variations on the technique:
http://luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/blended_exposures.shtml

[Scottes]

First, the set is beautiful... I've gotta look into a feeder!

Thanks. And get 3 or 4 feeders - the more seed variety the more birds, it seems. In the last week I've seen grackles, common flickers, and chipping sparrows - never seen until I put up Superfeeder. I've got 12 different varieties as regulars now.

a suggestion for the contrast and highlight detail

Alas, there is no detail in those white regions - they're blown. The C1 histogram goes nicely from 4 to 255 - I overexposed by 0.15 of a stop. I may cheat and put the detail in back in - hey, otherwise it doesn't look natural... :twisted:

[Jim_T]

Great shots..

I just saw my first flicker this year.. Actually I've seen a couple so far. Of course I just got interested in bird watching and photography this year :)

I like your idea of feeders.. I never thought of that.. I'm moving out of an apartment back into a house at the end of the month.. The house is on 2 acres with lots of trees.. I think I'm going to hang feeders all over the place :)

[dewmuw]

Why is it called a flicker?

[Ballen Photo]

Scottes, These are very nice. I've never heard of a Flicker before, but that doesn't mean anything. :shock: It reminds me somewhat of a Dove.
The Goldfinch is worth looking at with its brilliant colors, but for some reason I dont see a lot of Blue Jays posted, and this is a nice one. :D
........Bruce

[Scottes]

Jim_T: Thanks. One thing I've found is that hanging all the feeders in one place makes it easy to get shots. I had feederes spread out, but now they're on one pole. It makes life easy, but also may get boring with the same backgrounds and such.


Bruce: This was the first time I've ever seen one, or heard of one. If it weren't for the red patch - which screams woodpecker - I would have been looking under doves for a while! But the Jays... they don't seem to sit still much, and then fly off at the slightest thing. Big bullies, but cowards it seems.


Dewmuw: That question got me curious. Well:

"Etymology: flicker Middle English flikeren,behave frivolously, trifle...; may be named for its motion flying from tree to tree, showing white wing spots, which present a flickering effect."

From http://www.bottlebrushpress.com/flicker.html, which also states "The Flicker has the most folknames and names of any species of bird that nests in North America." It's quite a list.

The common flicker is the biggest eater of ants in North Amercia - some 60-70% of it's diet is ants. It's the only woodpecker known to eat on the ground.

[Scottes]

Edit: Eek! My post count is 666! :shock: :lol:

Now 676 - glad to see that you made it.
:wink: