Mike Cohen  


Anhinga by Mike Cohen

February 2025 - Anhinga

February 2025 - Mike Cohen

Original

About the Image(s)

While I was reviewing my pictures in camera, they were shown magnified. I often check the focus that way. This image would have been a toss had I not seen it cropped in the camera. I’m lucky to have the opportunity to shoot a lot of nest building anhinga and as a result try to be picky with what I keep. I favor dark images, and I liked the attention on the eye and twig produced by the exposure. There was a lot of work I had to do to process the image. The cropped image was very noisy. And I used Topaz denoise AI to do the best I could with that. There was something, probably bird droppings, on the trailing part of the plant, a blue color cast on the bird’s back, and large bright blobs along the bottom. I used AI to help me replace the problematic areas. For the blue color cast I used a luminosity mask output to a saturation layer and knocked down the blue, then another saturation layer to knock it down farther. I had to mask the effect out everywhere except where I wanted it on the bird’s back. Finally, I did some dodging and burning. I dodged the edges of the downward facing wing and some areas of the twig, as well as the light feathers behind the bird’s head. I burned some of the background and an area just behind the head that looked cloudy to me. Finally, I added a bit of a vignette. Sony a1m2, 200-600 @ 379mm, 1/2500 second, f/6.3, ISO 4000.


2 comments posted




Pamela Hoaglund   Pamela Hoaglund
Great capture and your extensive post processing worked well. The sharpness of the birds eye, beak and the twig really draws the eye to that area. For me I think the underside of the bird is too dark and becomes a dark void. I don't think it needs much lightening but enough to give it more definition.   Posted: 02/06/2025 01:57:52
Mike Cohen   Mike Cohen
Hi Pamela. Now that I'm looking at it I agree with you. Thanks   Posted: 02/06/2025 16:54:33



 

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