Jim Overfield  


Cardinal by Jim Overfield

November 2024 - Cardinal

November 2024 - Jim Overfield

Original

About the Image(s)

I was taking a break from taking photos of flowers in my wife’s backyard garden when I heard a cardinal singing nearby. He was perched high in a neighbor’s pine tree when I took this photo about 40 feet from the chair I was sitting in. This male and his mate are frequently visitors to our backyard for over the past 5 years. They can live up to 15 years, so we are pleased whenever we see them visiting our feeders.
Handheld full frame camera body, 400mm, 1/400 sec, f/5.6, ISO 100, aperture priority.
1x1 crop, adjustments to highlights, shadows, whites, and blacks. Topaz denoise & sharpen. Applied a mask on the bird to boost color a little and applied another mask on the eye itself to darken and increase contrast.


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




Sabine Nehls   Sabine Nehls
Jim, You've managed a very nice shot of a Cardinal. I first read up on the bird and once again learned about it through our group.
You have chosen a suitable crop and the right format. I am amazed at the sharpness of the cardinal in the processed image. The Topaz program can probably do that.
So that the red and green colors don't compete too much, I took out some yellow and minimally enhanced the red, so that the cardinal comes even more into the viewer's focus. But that's just an idea.

  Posted: 11/12/2024 20:10:07
Comment Image
Jim Overfield   Jim Overfield
Sabine, I couldn't tell the difference between your version and mine until I downloaded your image and viewed it as a side-by-side comparison to mine. The subtle changes you made were a great idea and did make a noticeable improvement to the cardinal. Your efforts are greatly appreciated. Thank you.   Posted: 11/13/2024 12:09:17



Yvonne Cary Carter   Yvonne Cary Carter
Jim, You caught your cardinal at the right moment in song. Wise choice to use two masks to sharpen the eye and feathers. Very vibrant colors! Thanks for sharing your cardinal story.   Posted: 11/13/2024 13:53:46
Jim Overfield   Jim Overfield
Thank you Yvonne   Posted: 11/13/2024 14:24:19



Sylvia Williams   Sylvia Williams
Beautiful photo! I love that you captured him singing!
He is super sharp and I love your crop!   Posted: 11/14/2024 22:27:00
Jim Overfield   Jim Overfield
Thank you Sylvia   Posted: 11/18/2024 13:27:49



Randy Bell   Randy Bell
This is a very nice shot of a cardinal and I like your crop. Sabine's suggestions on the color adjustments help bring out the bird a little more. The vivid red color of this bird really stands out against the trees. Nicely captured.   Posted: 11/17/2024 22:58:45
Jim Overfield   Jim Overfield
Thank you Randy.   Posted: 11/18/2024 13:28:23



Douglas Gerdts   Douglas Gerdts
OK -- all I have to say -- this might be my new holiday card!

Thank you Jim!   Posted: 11/18/2024 21:32:22
Jim Overfield   Jim Overfield
Not a bad idea. Thanks Douglas   Posted: 11/18/2024 21:33:40



Linda Mui   Linda Mui
Hi Jim, The vibrant red of the cardinal really pops against the green background, and I love how your crop brings it into focus so dramatically. For a different take, I could see a horizontal crop working nicely to frame the image and give it a wintery, Christmas card feel. It's wonderful that this pair has been visiting you for so many years-it adds such a personal touch to the photo!   Posted: 11/19/2024 22:22:57
Jim Overfield   Jim Overfield
Thank you Linda. Your suggestion as well as Douglas's comment, has encouraged me to give The Xmas card idea a try.   Posted: 11/19/2024 23:12:12