First kingfisher shots

Well done on getting your first Kingfisher, always a great occasion!
I think you could do a lot more to make these 'pop', at the moment they look rather dark and grey which doesn't show them at their best ... maybe start with an adjustment to levels :)
 
These are great shots Andy, lovely detail, good composition, poses and perch over the set (y)....if I had to pick a favorite, it would be the third with its catch (not sure what it is) and the water droplets

I'm not big on PP'ing and have a lot to learn but they just seem to lack a bit of 'pop', colours seem a little dull, maybe the weather on the day? Either way, I'd be over the moon if they were mine, I've not come close to getting any Kingfisher shot like these, well done :)
 
Well done! As mentioned above they could do with some processing to bring out the colours.
 
•


Fantastic opportunity, Andy!

I think micro contrast and, consequently,
micro saturation may be improved along
this suggested line.

First%20kingfisherpp.jpg
 
Many thanks I will see what I can do with the colours, it was a overcast day and light was against me
 
andy32 said:
it was a overcast day and light was against me
Click to expand...
•


I see as maybe you would have possibly preferred
sunlight but I don't agree that light was against you!

That overcast day acted like a giant sorfbox revealing
all details and colours avoiding glare and uncontrollable
highlights and too deep shadows.

I think I would have been very happy to have had your
great set of circumstances.
 
I've had a look at a few of my shots and made them pop loads thanks for the tips they look much better now
 
Great effort, Andy!

They're slightly underexposed. This is most likely to do with the large expanse of water in the background. The reflective surface often causes this, even on an overcast day. To overcome this you can dial in some exposure compensation in the + direction.

The white patch on the neck region of the bird is always a good indicator of exposure - it almost always look slightly over if you nail the exposure. I know it sounds odd but the amount of details you retained confirms to me that they are under.

During processing, we should bear in mind that this is a juvenile, and therefore the colours should not be as vibrant as an adult.

Lastly, there's a slight colourcast - perhaps you were using the 'cloudy' setting? This isn't a big problem if you shot in RAW as it can be easily remedied in post.

It might be worth including all relevant shooting info or leave the EXIF data intact should you wish to receive more precise feedback.

Hope the above helps. Love to see some more in the future!
 
Those "dull" colours are quite representative of some Kingfishers, the images are good and well taken

a little shadow work may help, especially around the eye, but not too much
 
Last edited:
Nicely caught, I've just spent my 2nd afternoon this week watching these amazing little birds, the colour variation is from deep royal blue
through to almost green, starting to tell them apart now when the stop nearby
I could watch them forever :love:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top