Small image but does it work?

[Red-eyed Video]

I'm going for aesthetic appeal :laugh: but does it work?

[Colin Key]

Hi Dave,

NO, it doesn't really work! Too much fence and not enough bird I'm afraid.

Also, the lighting on the Mipit does not really do it any favours.

Colin :beer:

[Colin Key]

Can't really do much with this JPEG (other than cut the fence down :ohdear:):

http://s118.photobucket.com/albums/o100/Passarinhos/meadowpipit.jpg

It just will not take any more noise reduction or sharpening.

(But, better than a lot of Mipit shots I have seen :smile:).

Colin

[Red-eyed Video]

Colin,

Thanks for your reply, I'm surprised you managed to get any more out of the image, I'd already converted it from RAW to TIFF to JPEG, cropped, sharpened & Neat Imaged!

I quite liked the backlit bird and the composition. I suppose if it had been a Pechora on Fair Isle it would have been an acceptable image. :puzzled: It's just about good enough to I.D. it as a Mipit in nice fresh pumage...

[Red-eyed Video]

I'm setting my sights a little lower with a humble Mallard.

[Colin Key]

Nothing wrong with that shot Dave (I would always recommend that people experiment with easy large targets such as ducks and gulls to get exposure, DOF, etc. correct before attempting that Radde's Warbler in the middle of a bush!!).

I would have cleaned this up a bit by using the "Spot Healing Brush" and "Clone Stamp Tool" to get rid of some of the midges and bubbles on the water surface (by the way, you have some dust spots on your sensor - just left of the bird's bill tip).

Assuming that you have cropped this image, I would have suggested giving the bird a bit more space, especially on the left-hand side; it looks rather cramped as it is. If you have done a considerable crop then I would have had a look at a vertical (portrait) format to give more emphasis to the reflection.

Which camera and lens, and what settings did you use?

Colin

[Colin Key]

As well as cleaning some of the distracting "muck" from your image I have made very small adjustments to shadows & highlights, colour saturation, contrast, and sharpness (it might even take a touch more sharpening):


http://s118.photobucket.com/albums/o100/Passarinhos/mallard.jpg


Colin

[Red-eyed Video]

Thanks Colin, that looks neater. You're right, it has been cropped a little too tight. I attach the original size converted from RAW. I'm getting more critical with my images, the little stone below the Ringed Plover's tail would need to be removed and also a little more colour added? I notice you've removed that piece of weed which looks like it's sticking out of the duck's neck!



I believe the dust marks are debris as the Canon 40D (with 100-400 IS lens) cleans the sensor on start-up.

Full exif for the Mallard shot;



Equipment Make: Canon
Camera Model: Canon EOS 40D
Camera Software: QuickTime 7.6.4

Image-Specific Properties:

Image Orientation: Top, Left-Hand
Image Orientation: Top, Left-Hand
Horizontal Resolution: 72 dpi
Vertical Resolution: 72 dpi
Image Created: 2009:09:14 10:31:01
Exposure Time: 1/800 sec
Exposure Program: Aperture Priority
ISO Speed Rating: 400
Lens Aperture: f/5.7
Exposure Bias: 1/3 EV
Metering Mode: Spot
Flash: No Flash, Compulsory
Focal Length: 400.00 mm

Other Properties:

Resolution Unit: i
Chrominance Comp Positioning: Centered
Exif IFD Pointer: 246
Compression Scheme: JPEG Compression (Thumbnail)
Horizontal Resolution: 72 dpi
Vertical Resolution: 72 dpi
Resolution Unit: i
Offset to JPEG SOI: 562
Bytes of JPEG Data: 2753
Chrominance Comp Positioning: Centered
Exif Version: 2.20
Image Generated: 2009:09:12 16:08:36
Image Digitized: 2009:09:12 16:08:36

Tripod mounted.

[Colin Key]

Hello Dave,

With your 40D and 100-400 you will (and are!) be able to get superb shots as long as you have reasonably good lighting. Regarding the exif data on the Mallard shot, the only comment I would make is that shooting a bird of this size "wide open" (i.e. f/5.6 ) gives a very shallow depth of field and unless you get perfect AF on the eye and bill you are in trouble (admittedly, it can look very good to have the head of a lrage bird in sharp focus with body slightly blurred). Also, this lens (which I own) is not at its best at maximum aperture and I would normally stop-down to f/6.3 or 7.1 even for a small bird (easier for me since I have excellent light here and hence very fast shutter speeds); but you have 1/800s which you could bring down to 1/500s to compensate (especially if you are using a tripod or monopod), and you could even up the ISO to 800 and put faith in noise reduction.

You state that the Camera Software is "QuickTime 7.6.4." - what is that? Are you not using the Canon Software (DPP) and Photoshop Elements + Neat Image, or have I missed something?

The Ringed Plover is a nice shot, but slightly over-exposed (some of the whites are "burnt") - the "goose step" stride and shadow of the leg, plus the highlight in the eye (ultra important in my view, otherwise the bird looks dead) are excellent.

What I have done:

1. Adjusted shadows and highlights and mid-tone contrast in "Levels"

2. Increased colour saturation

3. Removed a couple of distractions (not very well I'm afraid - you need to do it pixel by pixel for perfection, but that is time-consuming)

4. A bit of noise reduction in Neat Image

5. Sharpen with "Adjust Sharpness" in PSE6

6. Re-size to 850 pxls max dimension

7. Another light pass of sharpening on the recduced image

8. "Saved As" a JPEG of maximum quality


http://s118.photobucket.com/albums/o100/Passarinhos/rp.jpg



As I have said time and time again, there is a limit to what can be done to a JPEG; if I had the original RAW file I could do much more.

Colin

P.S. The sensor cleaner on the latest Canon cameras works for some dust but not all. If you change lenses often in the field you are going to get some "crud" which it cannot cope with (pollen is the worst offender) and you will have to do a manual sensor clean (or have Canon do it for you).

Try taking a shot of the sky, stopped down to f/22 and focused at infinity and look at the image on your computer - you might get a shock :eek:

[Red-eyed Video]

Thanks once again Colin for your 1-1 tuition and time taken to enhance my pictures and my knowledge. :beer: Of the dozen or so photos taken of the plover this was the only one with the eye glint, the others were deleted. I know you can add it in but that's cheating. :laugh:

The Mallard was a lazy shot, nothing to photograph for 2 minutes and it just happened to be in front of me. I'd made the settings hoping for some gulls in flight hence A.V. f5.6. I tend to stick at ISO400 unless the light is bad as the noise seems to be bad even at this level.

I have experimented with the lens settings and I've obtained the best results on f7.1 with IS off. A tripod is essential for my video work so it's no problem using one with the weighty 100-400 loaned to me by a generous friend who uses a 300 2.8 with a 1.4x converter as his main set up.

I haven't got round to using the Canon DPP and the QuickTime must be part of iPhoto which I know you are not a great fan of! I need more time to master the camera before learning how to use the software though I do use Adobe C.S. and Neat Image. I'm no spring chicken but you can teach an old dog new tricks albeit slowly, slowly.

I've used your method for enhancing a couple of Red Kite shots from today in what turned out to be frustrating light conditions. Too much contrast in most of my deleted shots against a featureless sky. I'm not sure why the first bird is carrying a bundle of grass unless there's a mouse in there?

[Colin Key]

Nice shots of Red Kite Dave, especially the first one - I wouldn't like to try and improve on those. Definitely a rodent (more likely a small rat than a mouse, based on size) in that bird's talons - I can see its head, legs and tail.

Colin