Sharon Prislipsky, APSA, EPSA
October 2024 - Broad billed Hummingbird
Original
About the Image(s)
About the Image(s)
While attending the PSA Photo Festival in Arizona I was able to photograph a number of Hummingbird species that we do not see in the Eastern US. This hummingbird was photographed in a garden area near our hotel in the Calalina Hills north of Tucson. It was mid-moring, and the light was very bright.
Canon R5; Canon 100-500mm RF lens handheld; focal length 500mm.
ISO 4000; f/7.1;1/4000 sec.
I set white and black points then ran Topaz DeNoise AI. The next step was Photoshop to remove the messy out of focus foliage and simplify the image. In LR I adjusted the Tone Curve and used the Color Mixer to adjust hue, saturation and luminosity. Finally in Color Efex I added polarization and dynamic contrast. i
will look forward to your comments and suggestions.
This round’s discussion is now closed!
10 comments posted
I am always amazed by the humming bird's ability to hover in mid air while drinking. You did a great job of freezing the motion of the bird's wings. The detail, texture and colors are impressive. By cleaning up the background and isolating the two trumpets you have created a lovely minimalist action image.
As I studied the image I was drawn to the faint splashes of color from the blurred flowers and stems. I wondered if including some of them might create a different artistic effect, and provide an interesting context from which the two strong trumpets emerged.
Posted: 10/08/2024 01:07:19
As I studied the image I was drawn to the faint splashes of color from the blurred flowers and stems. I wondered if including some of them might create a different artistic effect, and provide an interesting context from which the two strong trumpets emerged.
Posted: 10/08/2024 01:07:19
Thanks for your comments and suggestions. I am not surprised that you were drawn to those splashes of color - they are definitely a hallmark of your style. I followed up by tring to incorporate some of that, but it did not seem to work for me. I think I would have to make the humminbird less realistic for that kind of approach. However, I will continue to ponder your ideas. Posted: 10/16/2024 12:19:45
I echo Judith's comments and am intrigued by her suggestion to include more of the plants. I tried to do follow that suggestion in LR but couldn't produce an effect I liked. I think using AI in PS might do the trick. I think your final result is nice, but the trumpets seem to come out of nowhere, which makes me immediately think of a forced crop at work.
Given the adjustment in exposure to the subject, I suspected that there was more color that could be brought out in the feathers. Using adjustment brushes in LR I painted in some Highlights and White and just a touch of saturation. I also increased the highlights in the eye and darkened the rest of it. I also desaturated the background a bit. Posted: 10/08/2024 11:53:58
Given the adjustment in exposure to the subject, I suspected that there was more color that could be brought out in the feathers. Using adjustment brushes in LR I painted in some Highlights and White and just a touch of saturation. I also increased the highlights in the eye and darkened the rest of it. I also desaturated the background a bit. Posted: 10/08/2024 11:53:58
I think you are correct about the adjustments to the bird. As for the vegetation, I tried a number of differnt things to make the trumpet blossoms look like they belonged. Here is a simllar image from the sane capture series where I have implemented your suggestions for the bird and the trumpet flower.
As for the new LR remove tool that uses generative AI, I do not plan to use it. I only want my images to include pixels that I have captured with my camera, not ones that are generated by AI. (You probably know that PSA has taken a strong stand against generative AI in photography) I still think the remove tool in PS is better than the one added to LR, but I have only fooled around with it a little bit so far. Posted: 10/16/2024 12:30:56
As for the new LR remove tool that uses generative AI, I do not plan to use it. I only want my images to include pixels that I have captured with my camera, not ones that are generated by AI. (You probably know that PSA has taken a strong stand against generative AI in photography) I still think the remove tool in PS is better than the one added to LR, but I have only fooled around with it a little bit so far. Posted: 10/16/2024 12:30:56
Hummers in flight always pose a difficult subject, but you have done remarkably well, and your PP shows the bird to its advantage. Well done. I must echo the comments of Mike and Judith though, the blossoms seem a little off, seeming to just appear, And I agree that a little could perhaps be done in PS to add a stem or leaves which I think it would anchor the photo. The colors against the white background are so eyecatching. well done.
Iechyd da
Ann
Posted: 10/13/2024 17:31:58
Iechyd da
Ann
Posted: 10/13/2024 17:31:58
Thanks, Ann I won't repeat my reply to Mike as you can see it above. Maybe we need to have a groiup discussion about the use of AI in photography. In the second image I posted under Mike's comments I only used pixels that were captured by my camera, not generative AI. Posted: 10/16/2024 12:33:13
You have captured a beautiful image of this hummer and I think the high key works well as you had the right background. The important parts of the bird appear to be tack sharp. I'm amazed that you were able to stop the wing movement even at 1/4000 sec. I have contemplated Judith's suggestion but in my opinion the blurred flowers in the foreground are so out of focus that I think they would be a distraction. In my opinion the simplicity of the image works well. Posted: 10/13/2024 18:58:12
Thanks, Pam. I think the 1/4000 sec worked because the light was extremely bright. I get everyone's point about the flowers not being connected to anything though, and will try to rectify that. Posted: 10/16/2024 12:34:57
I am so engaged by the hummingbird that I haven't considered the flower stems and leaves as consequential. Hummingbirds are so challenging to photograph, you did well to capture such definition on the bird's head. What might be fun is to bring out the beak within the flower. It may enhance the story of the bird collecting nectar and pollenating the flower. Could you burn the beak a touch? Posted: 10/16/2024 17:50:27
Seems like I just can't stop playeing with this group of images so here is another version. Posted: 10/16/2024 18:02:12