Erik Rosengren, FPSA, PPSA  


Oystercatcher by Erik Rosengren, FPSA, PPSA

December 2020 - Oystercatcher

About the Image(s)

How I did it—our Camera Club group ventured to Ft DeSoto last week for a Sunrise then hopefully some birds. We experienced a storm a couple of weeks ago and it did a number on their beaches. I guided the group through three our haunts before finding a Great Blue Heron with a large fish in its mouth. After making a few images the members followed me to the Fort where a mating pair of Osprey hang out. Alas the nest was empty so on a lark we drove about 300 yards to the Fishing Pier and I spotted a group of birds on the beach at the waters edge. We were blessed with seven species of birds. One of my faves was a Oystercatcher eating clam meat. Tools for the day, my new Olympus OM-D Mark 111 4/3rds body, coupled with an Olympus 40-150 mm f2.8 pro lens and a 2X extender, hand held. Settings, Auto ISO, f8 at 600th of a Sec. at 220 mm. In post I flipped the image, cropped clicked on auto in camera raw, decreased the whites using the slider then dehaze to darken the background. Final touch, burned the edges to better contain the image on my canvas. You will notice a thin line contouring the birds back. Ah ha you say, over sharpened. This image was so sharp I didn’t run it through AI Clear.


This round’s discussion is now closed!
10 comments posted




Vella Kendall   Vella Kendall
Didn't even notice the line until you mentioned it, I was so captivated by the clam in his mouth and the colors of orange, blue and black. The colors are beautiful. Sounds like a fun, productive day.   Posted: 12/01/2020 21:11:49



Dr Isaac Vaisman   Dr Isaac Vaisman
Erik, oystercatchers are fun to see at work. It is amazing how fast and easy they open the shells with the beak. You got it at the right moment and with a beautiful morning light. It is super sharp, and since you mentioned that you did not do any, I just wonder what caused that line ?? I did tone down the bluish hue in the sand and the shadow, and now the colors of the bird stand out even more.   Posted: 12/05/2020 06:57:30
Comment Image
Vella Kendall   Vella Kendall
Thank you for the info of the oyster catcher and it's prey. Have never been lucky to see one.   Posted: 12/14/2020 10:50:13
Erik Rosengren   Erik Rosengren
Thanks for the P.P. Isaac. I believe the blue hew in the sand was due to the beautiful light and the unusually blue water.

I thank all of you for your comments and wish you and your families a Happy New Year. Study Group 04 was one of the few bright spots in my life this year.
  Posted: 12/30/2020 14:18:17



Bill Buchanan   Bill Buchanan
I have heard great things about the Olympus cameras and lenses. Everything is perfect; color, sharpness and exposure.

You may want to investigate chromatic aberration settings in camera Raw. That may be the cause of the line you see.   Posted: 12/09/2020 13:21:11



Guy Davies   Guy Davies
There comes a time when we all start looking for something a bit lighter but still with top class performance. The Olympus OMD EM1 Mark III is a very nice camera and the lenses are very sharp. Paula found she needed lighter kit some time ago and bought the EM1 Mark I, and later upgraded to the Mark II. I was so impressed by the sharpness and the reduced weight that I traded in my Nikon and went for Micro Four-Thirds too, but I chose the Lumix G9 which is just as sharp.

Your image of the oyster catcher is excellent. It is sharp, the black feathers have detail and the whites are not blown out even in the strong sun. You may be interested in going on to Facebook and 'liking' the OlympusUK page. They have lots of things going on which you can either watch live or go to later. They are very informative about the various camera functions. Paula can give you more information if you email me separately.   Posted: 12/10/2020 05:55:48



Lisa Cuchara   Lisa Cuchara
(Groups 41 & 44 & 46)
Hi Erik, Great capture! I am an Olympus educator and Bill reached out to ask me to take a look at this image and the line. I would be happy to! I cannot locate your email address but I can send you a link where you can send me the RAW ORF file and I can (1) take a look at the RAW file and (2) use the RAW settings that I typically use and see if the same

Email me at photographer67@comcast.net and I can send you my large file link so you can let me take a look at the file.

I do agree with you, my Olympus file rarely need sharpening and I only use AIclear on images where I unfortunately underexposed an image taken at 5000-6400 ISO.   Posted: 12/10/2020 16:43:23



Vella Kendall   Vella Kendall
I don't know if it is a halo or not but I use this technique but there are many techniques to try. I love the face of the oyster catcher.

https://www.kenkoskela.com/blog/how-to-eliminate-a-halo-in-photoshop/   Posted: 12/14/2020 10:48:06



Ian Chantler   Ian Chantler
Hi Erik
Another fantastic nature image from you, your new camera really produces sharp images and the colour is fabulous, are so lucky to have large flocks of shore birds along the peninsula were I live and our fair share of oyster catchers I must follow your lead and try and capture a few   Posted: 12/14/2020 16:01:16



 
I think it's a wonderful capture. Looks yummy for the bird. Sorry I forgot to comment on any of them until now, and I'm glad you reminded me.   Posted: 12/31/2020 17:16:37