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Pajarito

By DiegoSuarezP
Please Comment

In this picture I'm trying to capture the wildlife living around humans, you can see that the bird stop flying to rest in the wire.
I love the colors of the bird. maybe you should think that the picture must have more zoom for the details of the bird but i thing that the background house give to the picture something different.

Constructive critics are very welcome

Thanks!Tongue

Tags: Birds Wildlife and nature

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Comments


9 May 2014 8:39PM
no one? seriously?
banehawi Plus
18 2.9k 4347 Canada
10 May 2014 12:21AM
Hi Diego.

Reminds me of the song, Bird on a Wire. Your shot settings look good.

A bird, not zoomed in like this can work well, if the bird if in focus. In this shot, the camera didnt focus on the bird, it focused on those leaves coming into the shot from the left. This can happen if you are using the default multi-point focusing, and not a single focus point; the camera will lock on a high contrast, sharp edge object, such as the leaf. You can see, once you look for it, that the leaves are shrp and focused, the bird is a little blurred.

Take a look at how to select a single focus point on the camera, this will improve your rate of success with quick shots like this s lot.

But the main thing is that you like it, and thats whats important.


regards


Willie
rambler Plus
14 1.1k 17 England
10 May 2014 1:27AM
I would also suggest you reduce the aperture setting to 5.6 to allow the shutter speed to increase and avoid camera shake. Shots like this are often taken quickly to capture the moment and your main subject has to be the sharpest thing in the shot.
dudler Plus
19 2.0k 1999 England
10 May 2014 2:38AM
I think it is always interesting to put a bird or animal in its context, and that's not a problem.

There are two things that let the idea down in this picture. One is technical, and the other is aesthetic.

The technical thing is that I think the camera was possibly on a "fully auto" setting, so that it chose where to focus, what ISO to use, and what combination of aperture and shutter speed. Certainly, the focus missed the mark, and Willie's advice will sort things out a lot. Taking charge of the aperture and shutter speed for yourself will allow you to choose how sharp and how blurred each part of the scene is.

The other thing is about placing the bird to show it up best against the house, possibly by moving so that one of the darker windows is directly behind it. You can also make a positive decision about whether you want to tilt the picture, or work hard to get it completely straight.

A good idea for every picture is to look all round the edges of the viewfinder, to check that thigns are exactly as you want them before pressing the shutter release. That way, you will slow down, and make the most of every situation.
mrswoolybill Plus
16 3.8k 2595 United Kingdom
10 May 2014 4:59PM
Hi Diego, I'm a day late here but we do find Critique Gallery uploads in time!

You've received good advice above. You have a lovely camera and the best kit lens going, so good scope to work on your photography.

The first essential is as mentioned by Willie - make sure that you are using one focusing point only (multi-point settings should be illegal they are so disastrous!), and use it carefully. Place it carefully over your subject, half depress the shutter button to lock the focus, then compose the picture and shoot. With practice this takes no more than a second, so you won't lose the image. Careful focusing is essential - the nearest to sharp in this image is the foliage on the left, the least important part of the image!

The settings otherwise look quite sensible. Shutter speed fast enough for you to hand-hold steadily and to freeze the bird's movement. But you could easily have got away with 1/200 second which would have allowed a lower ISO for better image quality - down to ISO 100 if you use a wider aperture (lower F number) as well. These are the factors that interact, and each of them can work to your advantage so it's a good idea to become familiar with them and take control. Switch off Auto settings and start experimenting!

One other important thing - don't rush a shot, after locking your focus compose carefully to make a picture. This would be much more successful if the dominant horizontal and vertical lines were true.

I've uploaded a Modification, click on the Modifications button below your upload to view. This is what I did:

I straightened the image, then used Skew to tidy up the angles further - what you can do will depend on the software that you have available, but any editing program will allow you to straighten an image.

Then I made a Levels adjustment, moving the outer sliders inwards until they touched the two ends of the histogram. Again what you can do will depend on your editing software, but check out the area that allows you to enhance light, and if you don't have Levels available try adding a bit of contrast.

Finally I applied the Sharpening tool very discreetly over the bird, at a low setting, to distinguish it better from the background.

Have a look and see what you think. The straightening is the important thing!

Using a longer lens would produce a different picture, I like the idea of context, surroundings. Keep practicing!
Moira
10 May 2014 5:32PM
Thanks to everyone! i am learning a lot in here, and thanks for make me see a lot of mistakes that i have made in the take of the shot! i agree the auto focus is awful and that mistake is totally on me.

special thanks to Moira for the modifications was very helpful!

THANKS Diego Tongue
mrswoolybill Plus
16 3.8k 2595 United Kingdom
10 May 2014 5:40PM
Thanks for the feedback. It's good to hear that something has helped!
Moira

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