Western Bluebird

Gallery: AvianPosted November 24, 201088 views11 comments

As I was driving back to Washington State from Arizona earlier this month, I decided to drive the long way home, and swing by the Grand Canyon, as I have never been there before. The Grand Canyon was impressive, but far more important to me were the dozens of Western Bluebirds that were congregated on the rim of the canyon! My wife was not impressed (or suprised), as I ran back to the truck to get the big rig out!

Olympus e3
Olympus ZD 300 2.8 w/2x
ISO 200
f5.7
1/800th
+1ev
70% of FF

Comments and critiques welcome. Thanks.

Comments

11 comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on November 24, 2010 at 5:30 PM

Nice find, Mike, and a very good result. I like the pose and perch a lot.

Registered on January 28, 2008, 1767 Posts, 23192 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Bielefeld on November 24, 2010 at 5:32 PM

Overall a nice comp Mike. I love the weathered perch. The head looks just a bit softer than other parts of the image, such as the one splayed foot. Also, there is a halo around the bird that distracts me a bit.

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

Comment posted by Andy Shepherd on November 24, 2010 at 6:13 PM

It's a good looking image Mike, I'd maybe go for a slightly tighter comp but no biggy.

Andy...

Registered on September 24, 2006, 123 Posts, 1254 Comments

Comment posted by Michael Twaddell on November 24, 2010 at 6:25 PM

Hmmm, I don't see the halo. Anyone else see the halo that Ron says he sees? Just wondering, as I am not trusting my monitor much anymore. Thanks.

Registered on August 16, 2007, 199 Posts, 2132 Comments

Comment posted by Scott Frye on November 24, 2010 at 8:10 PM

Colors look good and I like that downward look. Bird is a bit centered for my tastes and taking some off the top would bring the bird a bit more off center.

Registered on February 3, 2007, 387 Posts, 1136 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Dudley on November 24, 2010 at 8:27 PM

Nice eye contact Mike and I like the perch too. Personally, I'd like to see the bird a little larger in the frame with all that blue sky. I see the halo also though it's pretty narrow and I've seen many much worse.

Here it is in a threshold layer at level 205.

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

Comment posted by Mia McPherson on November 24, 2010 at 8:30 PM

Mike,

I love the look you appear to be getting from the bluebird, sure looks like he is checking you or your gear out. I also like the simplicity of the image and clean background. I do see the thin, light halo Ron B. mentioned. If you pull this into PS, apply a temporary threshold layer then move the slider back and forth you will be able to clearly see the halo. Or blow the image up and you'll see about a 1-2 pixel area around the bird that is lighter than the rest of the sky. It would be easy to repair and the image is worth it. I'd apply a little more selective sharpening to the head too.

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

Comment posted by Angela McCain on November 24, 2010 at 8:31 PM

Really nice image of this bluebird. I'd want a tighter crop-especially from the top.

Registered on April 19, 2009, 367 Posts, 3589 Comments

Comment posted by Kirk Greene on November 24, 2010 at 9:01 PM

A very nice image and some great feedback on this post. I also see the halo. I had never seen the technique discussed here to see it so simply in PS. Good stuff!!

Registered on May 12, 2004, 191 Posts, 1578 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Leggett on November 27, 2010 at 4:36 PM

Nice find in such a beautiful place, Mike. Maybe my eye are a little tired but I can't detect any noticeable halo. Would however suggest a crop for comp to remove a fair amount of negative space up top.

Registered on July 21, 2004, 706 Posts, 3233 Comments

Comment posted by Steve Balke on December 3, 2010 at 11:10 PM

Great perch, pose, detail and color here Mike. The threshold layer method is a very sensitive one for spotting halos. In this case my eyes too can only spot the halo with the assistance of that method. I think if you wanted to print a very large version of this image then the halo would become more apparent.

Registered on June 18, 2009, 229 Posts, 2915 Comments