Birds

ccube78 · 6th July 2005

I took this in the zoo, don't know what the birds are called though. PS is used to remove some unwanted elements. Please comment thanks!

zaren · 6th July 2005

if you just wanted a record shot of the birds, fine. but this photo will not make anyone go "wow". the birds are not doing anything particularly interesting. i would suggest waiting for some interaction between the two birds, or interaction with the keeper during feeding or play time. the green foliage in the background makes the pic look messy. you could try zooming in closer with an even longer lens on the head region (which is the most interesting part of its anatomy IMHO), that will focus the viewer's attention on the bird, and may even throw the background out of focus, thus simplifying the photo. better still, photograph it with a worm dangling from its beak.

ortega · 6th July 2005

ditto , well said
nothing new to add

ccube78 · 7th July 2005

The reason why I took this shot is because the bird at the background seems like an exact replica of the one in the foreground, with similar posture. I was actually waiting for a while and finding an angle until they line up in this way.

I would appreciate if there are comments on what had worked in the picture, if there is any.

weg · 7th July 2005

i agree im attracted to the similarity in posture of both birds... but the grass and the leaves in the bg are quite distracting. However if viewed from the perspective of a wildlife shot, then i would have to agree with zaren..

zaren · 8th July 2005

Originally Posted by ccube78

The reason why I took this shot is because the bird at the background seems like an exact replica of the one in the foreground, with similar posture. I was actually waiting for a while and finding an angle until they line up in this way.

I would appreciate if there are comments on what had worked in the picture, if there is any.

some plus points in the picture....
good sharpness and details of the bird in the foreground. exposure is spot on.

nemesis32 · 8th July 2005

Originally Posted by ccube78

The reason why I took this shot is because the bird at the background seems like an exact replica of the one in the foreground, with similar posture. I was actually waiting for a while and finding an angle until they line up in this way.

I would appreciate if there are comments on what had worked in the picture, if there is any.

I know what you trying to achieve... As zaren has pointed, exposure, sharpness and details ofbird in foreground are all spot on, so it's a technically good picture.

My thoughts is that the DOF is too deep, you shd open up to the max or close to max. Prob F4? I dunno the shooting data but i guess around f8. What happens is the leaves behind is still pretty sharp and thus a bit distracting. the bird in background dun need to be sharp.

Also, for the double image thingy, the thing is you try to hard to accomodate the secondary subject (the bird behind). I feel this pic will work better if you shoot slightly to the left with the second bird overlapped by the 1st.

just my 2 cents worth...

ccube78 · 21st July 2005

Actually for this pic, my camera was already zoomed at max x12. I had wanted to capture the head, but it's just too far.

I had notice the distracting bushes behind too, but I can't do anything to elevate the camera high enough to avoid them.

I guess good pictures need a bit of luck too. If only they are closer...

6th July 2005	#1
ccube78 Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 84	Birds I took this in the zoo, don't know what the birds are called though. PS is used to remove some unwanted elements. Please comment thanks! __________________ http://changcaiphotography.blogspot.com

6th July 2005	#2
zaren Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 7,713	if you just wanted a record shot of the birds, fine. but this photo will not make anyone go "wow". the birds are not doing anything particularly interesting. i would suggest waiting for some interaction between the two birds, or interaction with the keeper during feeding or play time. the green foliage in the background makes the pic look messy. you could try zooming in closer with an even longer lens on the head region (which is the most interesting part of its anatomy IMHO), that will focus the viewer's attention on the bird, and may even throw the background out of focus, thus simplifying the photo. better still, photograph it with a worm dangling from its beak. Last edited by zaren; 6th July 2005 at 11:55 PM.

6th July 2005	#3
ortega Moderator Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: NorthEast Posts: 16,507	ditto , well said nothing new to add __________________ The Law

7th July 2005	#4
ccube78 Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 84	The reason why I took this shot is because the bird at the background seems like an exact replica of the one in the foreground, with similar posture. I was actually waiting for a while and finding an angle until they line up in this way. I would appreciate if there are comments on what had worked in the picture, if there is any. __________________ http://changcaiphotography.blogspot.com

21st July 2005	#8
ccube78 Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 84	Actually for this pic, my camera was already zoomed at max x12. I had wanted to capture the head, but it's just too far. I had notice the distracting bushes behind too, but I can't do anything to elevate the camera high enough to avoid them. I guess good pictures need a bit of luck too. If only they are closer... __________________ http://changcaiphotography.blogspot.com

7th July 2005	#5
weg Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: WSSS Posts: 728	i agree im attracted to the similarity in posture of both birds... but the grass and the leaves in the bg are quite distracting. However if viewed from the perspective of a wildlife shot, then i would have to agree with zaren..