Violet Sabrewing - with Vertical Crop Repost

Gallery: AvianPosted March 2, 2010221 views15 comments

Campylopterus Hemileucurus

From Costa Rica. These hummingbirds are stunning in the right light. The glittering-violet hues just jump out at you. They are also a very large hummingbird at around 6" in length.

I liked the back side pose with the nice head turn for this image. Had a nice simple forest green background. This was taken in a rainforest in relatively low light

Please view the larger image for details and critique.

Canon 50D, 500mm f/4 with 1.4x TC
1/320 @ f/5.6
ISO 500
580 flash @ -1 2/3

Thanks for your thoughts

Comments

15 comments

Comment posted by Gary Gulash on March 3, 2010 at 12:01 AM

What a heavenly bird Keith. You caught a fine head turn and the flash work is excellent in my opinion. There is an almost vignette effect here that I also like. The perch is a bit "so-so" in comparison to the stunning bird, but it runs in a nice diagonal.

Registered on January 28, 2005, 879 Posts, 12098 Comments

Comment posted by Erik Van de Water on March 3, 2010 at 12:11 AM

Keith, I do agree about the colors on this bird. Very nice. I would say though, in my opinion, that the colors of the bird do not mix well with the background. A farther stopped down aperture would help distinguish colors in the background. Rather than using vignetting on the sides, I would suggest making a square crop of the image. Smoothing out the branch the bird was sitting on might draw more attention to the bird. I do agree that it is very nice.

Registered on February 27, 2010, 6 Posts, 72 Comments

Comment posted by Nick Saunders on March 3, 2010 at 3:21 AM

A stunning hummingbird Keith. The flash work looks good, but the whole photo looks a bit dark on my work monitor. I agree that a vertical crop might be worth trying out .

Registered on February 6, 2008, 321 Posts, 3035 Comments

Comment posted by Brian Gatlin on March 3, 2010 at 7:41 AM

I like it, Keith. A pleasant image: a nice pose, good perch, and a smooth bg. I'd also be interested to see a vertical.

Registered on March 21, 2009, 202 Posts, 4187 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Dudley on March 3, 2010 at 9:03 AM

I actually said "wow" out loud when I opened the larger version Keith - some of the most intense irridescence I've seen and you got a perfect pose to show it off. With the bird looking slightly upward like it is, for my tastes the top of the frame is a bit close to the head so I might consider experimenting with a vertical comp if I had the room. I'm having trouble wrapping my head around the idea of a 6" hummingbird...

Registered on March 30, 2007, 437 Posts, 10915 Comments

Comment posted by Jim Hackley on March 3, 2010 at 11:19 AM

I did the same thing Ron did when I opened up the larger image, Wow. The colors of this large hummer are amazing and I like the back side also but it would be an interesting comparison to see a vertical crop vs this one. Well done, way to go.

Registered on September 17, 2009, 302 Posts, 5535 Comments

Comment posted by Keith Bauer on March 3, 2010 at 12:00 PM

Thanks for the comments so far. Several folks suggested a vertical crop. Here's a crack at what that might look like. Looking forward to your thoughts on vertical vs. horizontal crops.

Registered on November 20, 2003, 458 Posts, 4836 Comments

Comment posted by Nate Chappell on March 3, 2010 at 12:50 PM

I prefer the vertical crop with this one Keith, beautiful bird, well captured

Registered on February 1, 2006, 1158 Posts, 19528 Comments

Comment posted by Monica Siri on March 3, 2010 at 2:48 PM

Keith
I prefer the vertical crop, too. Really nice!!

Registered on September 20, 2009, 132 Posts, 3764 Comments

Comment posted by Cheryl Molennor on March 3, 2010 at 3:37 PM

Outstanding capture of the great colors. I like it as posted but prefer the crop in the repost a little better .I like the color combo and the detail is also sweet.

Registered on June 30, 2009, 300 Posts, 5051 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Bielefeld on March 3, 2010 at 4:15 PM

Great colors here Keith. A real stunner. I love the vertical comp. Well done for sure.

Registered on December 6, 2008, 360 Posts, 7132 Comments

Comment posted by Kevin Thompson on March 3, 2010 at 6:18 PM

Sweet shot Keith!!!

Registered on March 15, 2005, 114 Posts, 2639 Comments

Comment posted by Matt Shellenberg on March 3, 2010 at 8:05 PM

Superb job capturing the irridescence of this Hummer, Keith. Great detail. Both versions look great but I think I prefer the vertical.

Registered on February 6, 2008, 168 Posts, 3118 Comments

Comment posted by David Sparks on March 4, 2010 at 8:33 AM

Keith:
Looks like a fine piece of crystal. Outstanding.

Registered on May 26, 2007, 290 Posts, 4270 Comments

Comment posted by Mia McPherson on March 4, 2010 at 8:54 AM

Keith

This is a gorgeous hummingbird species, well done!

Registered on June 25, 2007, 491 Posts, 12566 Comments