Woodland Birds

Ali · 08-02-2008, 20:15

In early December last year I spent a very cold Saturday in a hide watching and photographing woodland birds. I'm spending another day in the hide in a couple of weeks so thought I really ought to sort out the batch from last year.

Seeing all the recent bird pictures has spurred me into action!

I shot RAW for the 1st time ever and have only just got my finger out and attempted to deal with RAW files...

Anyway here is a small selection:

Great Tit

Blue Tit

Great Spotted Woodpecker

All comments very welcome as ever

AQ · 08-02-2008, 20:22

Great set of pictures. I really like the wood pecker. Great exposure the white feathers are not burnt out and you can just make out the detail in the black.

I guess the RAW helped with that. Perhaps you could crop a bit off the top. There is rather a lot of empty space up there.

I like the way they always use their tails as a third leg. I think they should be called the tripod bird.

Charlotte · 08-02-2008, 20:51

Lovely set Ali, especially the woodpecker, that's a cracking shot

I think the crop on that one is just right, it needs that space above it to evoke a sense of height (of the tree).

Excellent DoF in all of them. And you processed that RAW file just right IMO, well done, only your first go at RAW!

Edit: Just noticed this when looking at the woodpecker image in your gallery (for some reason it doesn't seem as apparent in the thread copy): The patch of brown where the bark has come off seems to draw my eye, I think it's because it's slightly sharper than the bird's eye/head/beak, which is what should be drawing my eye. Is a bit of pp sharpening in that area possible?

Charlotte · 08-02-2008, 21:23

BTW Ali, you were asking a while back about books on RAW workflow. Here's a good one: Understanding RAW Photography, by Andy Rouse. As you will know, Andy Rouse is a top UK wildlife photographer, and he outlines his own workflow in this book. Some useful tips in there to get you underway with your RAW's