Critique Feeling Ruffled

MWHCVT

MWHCVT

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Matthew
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One from months ago I just loved how this Blackbird looked, he looked like he'd had a really rough day looking after the kids, by way of self critique obviously the back of my garden furniture doesn't make the most attractive of perches


Someones Ruffled by mwhcvt, on Flickr

As with all my photos comments and critique are more than welcomed and certainly appreciated (y)

Matt
 
Good shot showing a rather ruffled bird, though sharp and good feather detail. Very amusing shot too withe the garden furniture complimenting the overall view.
 
Col said:
Good shot showing a rather ruffled bird, though sharp and good feather detail. Very amusing shot too withe the garden furniture complimenting the overall view.
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Thanks Colin, I'm pleased that you like him, I'm a bit more of a watcher than a shooter when it comes to the birds in my garden I love watching the way they behave (y)
 
That is on seriously scruffy looking bird Matt...............:)

Not a great deal you can do with the background, you are not a "serious" bird photographer, so I reckon you have done ok with this. Exposure looks right and it is crisp enough.
 
fracster said:
That is on seriously scruffy looking bird Matt...............:)

Not a great deal you can do with the background, you are not a "serious" bird photographer, so I reckon you have done ok with this. Exposure looks right and it is crisp enough.
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You think he's bad you should have seen his misses ;)

Your entirely right bird or any wild life is not something that I even thing about from day to day, let alone shoot, but when I do it I like at least to do it well :D so at least I've got the technicalities about right, would be good for the background to be cleaner I agree (y)
 
Pinkbikerbabe said:
Well indeed he does look rather untidy " maybe he had a bad night in the nest " id say not that i am a expert in birding by any means but i reckon you done a bloody good job on this capture.
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Thanks Mandy, I suspect if my memory is serving me correctly I shot this during the really hot period we has last summer so he was probably in reality just trying to cool down a little :LOL:
 
Full marks for being brave enough to enter "the dragons den" bird section Matt, looks like one that the cat spat out :naughty:
 
Neil B said:
Full marks for being brave enough to enter "the dragons den" bird section Matt, looks like one that the cat spat out :naughty:
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Oi you, cheeky sod..................:mad:
 
Neil B said:
Full marks for being brave enough to enter "the dragons den" bird section Matt, looks like one that the cat spat out :naughty:
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I'm scared on no one me :D this poor chap was looking a bit rough though wasn't he :D
 
Matt, your supporting the breaking of the forum rules, you are not supposed to comment on the looks of the model
mixed-smiley-009.gif
:D

I am not in the school of thought that advocates lovely clear backgrounds on all bird shots, even though there is a place for them and they can look very good. Birds do what birds do, and taking pics of them doing it are just as appealing as the perfectly posed and composed shots. This one holds a lot of interest, it poses the question 'What has happened', roughed up by a cat?, drying out after a dip in the bath?, or just a bad/good night on the tiles with a hangover? Technically its ok, my only thought is that the blacks look a little washed out and maybe need a slight correction in levels, having said that, I am looking at it on my laptop that isn't calibrated which isn't ideal so I could well be wrong. I like it being in a natural setting, even the back of your garden bench, so overall while it might not be a competition winner, its a keeper for me and with a lot of interest (y).

As an extra thought, looking at the exif, you could have reduced the shutter speed and opened up the lens to obtain a shallower DoF which could of enhanced the picture slightly, and at ISO2500 I am impressed with the noise handling of the 5D mk3, have you applied much or any NR to this?
 
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Trev4 said:
Matt, your supporting the breaking of the forum rules, you are not supposed to comment on the looks of the model
mixed-smiley-009.gif
:D

I am not in the school of thought that advocates lovely clear backgrounds on all bird shots, even though there is a place for them and they can look very good. Birds do what birds do, and taking pics of them doing it are just as appealing as the perfectly posed and composed shots. This one holds a lot of interest, it poses the question 'What has happened', roughed up by a cat?, drying out after a dip in the bath?, or just a bad/good night on the tiles with a hangover? Technically its ok, my only thought is that the blacks look a little washed out and maybe need a slight correction in levels, having said that, I am looking at it on my laptop that isn't calibrated which isn't ideal so I could well be wrong. I like it being in a natural setting, even the back of your garden bench, so overall while it might not be a competition winner, its a keeper for me and with a lot of interest (y).
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:eek: so I am, bit of a rebel me ;)

I'm glad that overall you like it as while I don't do it often if I try I do try hard (y) I kind of see where your coming from on the blacks I suspect it maybe the direct sunlight that's causing the issue maybe?
 
MWHCVT said:
I'm scared on no one me :D this poor chap was looking a bit rough though wasn't he :D
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I'll give a bit of critique on the way i look at shots, remember i don't have clue what i'm talking about so take it all with a pinch of salt :whistle:

1) Composition, not bad but the eye is quite high in the frame and would of been better if the bird was looking at the camera, maybe a touch tight on the tail feathers, not much you can do about that when a bird lands sideways on apart from not cropping to tight.

2) Space, sort of linked to the above but the LHS is slightly wasted due to the bird looking up rather than to the camera.

3) Subject, ok so it's not the best but it's got that bit of different about it :thinking:

4) Exposure, looks good.

5) Detail, helped by having the light coming from over your shoulder, again quite good with nice DOF and a nice sharp eye.

6) Background, you can't really help where they land and i'm sure this chap would of landed somewhere slightly better than this at some point.

Like you do with your other photography Matt, I'm sure that with a little time/effort and planning you could come up with some great garden bird shots.
 
Neil B said:
I'll give a bit of critique on the way i look at shots, remember i don't have clue what i'm talking about so take it all with a pinch of salt :whistle:

1) Composition, not bad but the eye is quite high in the frame and would of been better if the bird was looking at the camera, maybe a touch tight on the tail feathers, not much you can do about that when a bird lands sideways on apart from not cropping to tight.

2) Space, sort of linked to the above but the LHS is slightly wasted due to the bird looking up rather than to the camera.

3) Subject, ok so it's not the best but it's got that bit of different about it :thinking:

4) Exposure, looks good.

5) Detail, helped by having the light coming from over your shoulder, again quite good with nice DOF and a nice sharp eye.

6) Background, you can't really help where they land and i'm sure this chap would of landed somewhere slightly better than this at some point.

Like you do with your other photography Matt, I'm sure that with a little time/effort and planning you could come up with some great garden bird shots.
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I've a lot of garden to work with so I'm sure I can come up with something, but all good points, on the composition I should have certainly left a little more space around the tail as when I looked at it on uploading I thought that myself, if I remember correctly I composed like that to hide something but I cannot remember what :( it's a few months back

Certainly correct is the fact that the space left doesn't really work as he isn't looking the correct direction
 
MWHCVT said:
I've a lot of garden to work with so I'm sure I can come up with something,
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If you need any help or ideas, just ask Matt.
 
fracster said:
If you need any help or ideas, just ask Matt.
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Nice one Ade, was thinking of heading out once I'm back on the road to borrow a couple of nice bits of mossy tree to position where I can get photos of the birds on it :D

As an indication of the space I have to work with I shot this earlier while playing with my recently retuned 8mm


Back Garden at 8mm by mwhcvt, on Flickr
 
OK, seeing as you do night shots, no point setting a station up for early morning sunshine,is there?

Work out when you will use any station you set up, and work out the best position so that the light is coming from behind you and onto the station.

That is homework #1 pal.
 
fracster said:
OK, seeing as you do night shots, no point setting a station up for early morning sunshine,is there?

Work out when you will use any station you set up, and work out the best position so that the light is coming from behind you and onto the station.

That is homework #1 pal.
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:LOL: no early morning light is something I only see if I've been up all night ;) given the desire to have light on my back the ideal position would be down the left of the garden for afternoon light as the garden faces roughly north
 
I love the way that the 'ruffled' grass matches the 'ruffled' feathers and I like your capture of the moment with the beak open. I also like the composition.

What really surprises me though is that this thread has posts by many very experienced and very proficient bird photographers and yet no-one so far seems to know much about bird behaviour. Bunch of amateurs! :D

Are none of you familiar with the term 'Sunning'? - I'll give you a clue: The shot was taken in August which usually, but not guaranteed in England, has hot sunny days. Blackbirds are well known for 'sunning'.

Alternatively, this bird may have very recently been bathing and is perched to ruffle up his feathers to speed up the drying process. The plumage does look as if it could be a little damp if you look closely. Is there water near where this photo was taken?

I have some close-up photos taken in my garden on my pocket camera (before I had a DSLR) of Blackbirds 'sunning' if anyone needs a comparison but a Google (for example) search should show images of Blackbirds 'sunning'.
 
I think most are aware of birds bathing and sunning themselves Robin.
 
RedRobin said:
I love the way that the 'ruffled' grass matches the 'ruffled' feathers and I like your capture of the moment with the beak open. I also like the composition.

What really surprises me though is that this thread has posts by many very experienced and very proficient bird photographers and yet no-one so far seems to know much about bird behaviour. Bunch of amateurs! :D

Are none of you familiar with the term 'Sunning'? - I'll give you a clue: The shot was taken in August which usually, but not guaranteed in England, has hot sunny days. Blackbirds are well known for 'sunning'.

Alternatively, this bird may have very recently been bathing and is perched to ruffle up his feathers to speed up the drying process. The plumage does look as if it could be a little damp if you look closely. Is there water near where this photo was taken?

I have some close-up photos taken in my garden on my pocket camera (before I had a DSLR) of Blackbirds 'sunning' if anyone needs a comparison but a Google (for example) search should show images of Blackbirds 'sunning'.
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We do indeed have a large bird bath about 5 meters away from where this was shot (y) as to the ruffled foliage, that was a happy accident (y) glad that you like it Robin (y)
 
Trev4 said:
Matt, your supporting the breaking of the forum rules, you are not supposed to comment on the looks of the model
mixed-smiley-009.gif
:D

This one holds a lot of interest, it poses the question 'What has happened', roughed up by a cat?, drying out after a dip in the bath?, or just a bad/good night on the tiles with a hangover? ?
Click to expand...
RedRobin said:
What really surprises me though is that this thread has posts by many very experienced and very proficient bird photographers and yet no-one so far seems to know much about bird behaviour. Bunch of amateurs! :D

Are none of you familiar with the term 'Sunning'? - I'll give you a clue: The shot was taken in August which usually, but not guaranteed in England, has hot sunny days. Blackbirds are well known for 'sunning'.

Alternatively, this bird may have very recently been bathing and is perched to ruffle up his feathers to speed up the drying process. .
Click to expand...

Robin, as Ade said, we are well aware of bird activity and habits, if you read my thread earlier you will see I light heartedly refer to drying out or suffering from a hangover. Sometimes, things are so obvious that they don't have to be mentioned, just taken for granted.
Perhaps your having a grumpy day, so I'll wish you all the best and trust that it gets better for you, I do hope so (y)
 
I'm relieved to hear that you all already know about bathing and sunning but somehow you missed my ':D' smilie.

I don't take anything for granted in here! :D
 
Neil B said:
I'll give a bit of critique on the way i look at shots, remember i don't have clue what i'm talking about so take it all with a pinch of salt :whistle:

1) Composition, not bad but the eye is quite high in the frame and would of been better if the bird was looking at the camera, maybe a touch tight on the tail feathers, not much you can do about that when a bird lands sideways on apart from not cropping to tight.

2) Space, sort of linked to the above but the LHS is slightly wasted due to the bird looking up rather than to the camera.

3) Subject, ok so it's not the best but it's got that bit of different about it :thinking:

4) Exposure, looks good.

5) Detail, helped by having the light coming from over your shoulder, again quite good with nice DOF and a nice sharp eye.

6) Background, you can't really help where they land and i'm sure this chap would of landed somewhere slightly better than this at some point.

Like you do with your other photography Matt, I'm sure that with a little time/effort and planning you could come up with some great garden bird shots.
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Surely just "Crap!" would have suffised Neil? :D A a good detailed shot Matt, I bet you ruffle all the birds feathers :naughty:
 
u8myufo said:
Surely just "Crap!" would have suffised Neil? :D A a good detailed shot Matt, I bet you ruffle all the birds feathers :naughty:
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Me Rich, I'm no good a ruffling the birds get away to fast :sulk: glad you like it :)
 
RedRobin said:
I'm relieved to hear that you all already know about bathing and sunning but somehow you missed my ':D' smilie.

I don't take anything for granted in here! :D
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They also have wings and tend to bugger off for a while, i'll leave you with that thought...:whistle:
 
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Neil B said:
They also have wings and tend to bugger off for a while, i'll leave you with that thought...:whistle:
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....Oh really? That must have been why I've been getting all my bird pictures wrong. Thanks for that, Neil - This Birds section of TP can always be relied on for invaluable help and information. :D (y)
 
Leaving aside the question of bird jizz, am I the only one who thinks the shot is about 1/2 a stop overexposed? Not enough to spoil it but just not quite spot on. Focus is and there's not a lot you can do about where the beggars decide to sit and sun themselves! As far as improving the setting, maybe raising the house/table (the bird one!) a bit would allow earlier sun during the summer and a bit of mossy twig screwed to the pole might allow the birds a more natural looking perch.
 
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