Peter Cheung
March 2023 - Shima Enaga
About the Image(s)
This photo was taken in Hokkaido, Japan last month. This lovely fluffy white bird is called long-tailed tits. Japanese call them Shima Enaga. They look like tiny white cotton balls bouncing around tree branches. This particular subspecies is only found in Hokkadido. The camera settings I used are Sony a7Riiia, Sony 200-600mm, 1/2000 sec, 347mm, f/9, ISO 2000. In post-processing I used Topaz photo AI to reduce noise and sharpen the image, and cropped the image a bit as the bird is so tiny.
3 comments posted
Hi Peter: Thank you for all the information provided regarding this little cotton ball. He's beautifully captured and sharp. I might have put a small catch light in his eye, although some might not approve of that manipulation. The only critique I can give is that the black on the right side is very distracting. I would try to clone it to match the lighter color. You want this darling bird as the primary focus. Love it. Posted: 03/11/2023 12:26:29
Nice and sharp with great color and detail. You did a great job keeping detail in the white body, not an easy task. You might want to try to crop in from the right, almost to the end of the tail. That would get rid of most of the dark stripe. I agree with Lee Ann, that a little catchlight would help if you are not entering into a nature category. Posted: 03/11/2023 15:33:44
Hi Peter, What a cutie!! Certainly not an easy photo to secure. Your attention to detail (especially on a white bird) is great. Love the angle of his head. A catchlight would add some depth to the bird's expression. On the right, I would only crop as far as as the "nub" on the branch continuing the angle of the tail for a more harmonious look and feel. Your detailed description of the history of the image is much appreciated. Posted: 03/19/2023 15:01:29