| Photograph Information |
Photographer's Comments |
Challenge: Sun in Frame (Basic Editing)
Camera: Canon PowerShot A620
Location: Flagstaff, AZ, USA
Date: May 4, 2008
Aperture: f/8
ISO: 50
Shutter: 1/250
Galleries: Animals, Birds
Date Uploaded: May 4, 2008
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Used flash to light the bird against the sun in background.
Post challenge-----
Here's the story behind this shot.
I was weeding in my yard and came upon a very freshly dead (cause unknown) but beautiful green-tailed towhee. Kudos to  vtruan for identifying the bird correctly after seeing only its back end. Naturally, I immediately did what all good DPCers would do given the ultimate compliant model: I stopped weeding and started shooting. 300 some-odd shots later, having kept two of the current challenges in mind, I thought I had some workable frames. (See also  )
Quite contrary to some of the comments on this shot, this is NOT a "photoshop composition" (which would have been illegal in a Basic challenge anyway, and my Photoshop skills aren't good enough to composite two dissimilar shots). In fact, I did only a little postprocessing on the shot, mostly cropping, a .04 increase in contrast, and a .19 decrease in brightness, with just a touch of highlight/shadow.
I held the bird close to the tripod-mounted camera, with the sunset in the background (yes, it's a real sunset, not a photo of a sunset), and lit the bird with the on-board flash. This shot was the next-to-last one taken; the sun set behind the mountains right afterward, so the backlight was then gone.
For the disbelievers among you, here's an outtake  , straight from camera (except for downsizing & save for web to upload to DPC; no editing or cropping done to it). The light blue objects are my fingers clad in vinyl gardening gloves, holding the bird right in front of the camera.
It's disheartening to realize that so many people vote a photo down based on faulty assumptions on their part.
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| Author | Thread |
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05/23/2008 04:39:50 AM |
| Quiche - thanks for providing the set-up details for this. I am always interested in discovering how a photographer went about achieving a shot that has intrigued me, and this one certainly did! I am glad that it was taken in the field, rather than a studio - it was only after I had viewed a few times that I began to wonder, hence the addition to my comment during voting. |
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 Photographer found comment helpful. |
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05/14/2008 12:47:12 AM |
| cool idea... good execution |
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| Photographer found comment helpful. |
Comments Made During the Challenge  |
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05/13/2008 08:53:41 PM |
| Oh, it's that budgie again, isn't it? I think I liked the Story shot better in composition and the way the sun illuminated the claws. I think this one might be better cropped tighter; the tail isn't adding much IMO. |
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| Photographer found comment helpful. |
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05/13/2008 03:08:24 PM |
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05/12/2008 08:26:21 PM |
| very harsh talons against that pretty sun in the mountains...hard juxtaposition to embrace |
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| Photographer found comment helpful. |
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05/12/2008 12:13:26 AM |
| looks familiar ... you must be following this bird around :) |
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| Photographer found comment helpful. |
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05/11/2008 04:08:04 PM |
| A very cool photo, nice detail. |
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| Photographer found comment helpful. |
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05/11/2008 03:47:13 AM |
A stuffed bird? A really cool idea for a photo, but the silhouetted background isn't really a strong enough feature to do the photo full justice, I feel. Lighting on the bird is good - flash, I take it, although it has resulted in a rather super-imposed feel.
Revisiting this I wonder if the photo as presented was shot outside in its etirity, or if the landscape background is a pre-taken photo backdrop? |
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| Photographer found comment helpful. |
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05/09/2008 11:55:39 AM |
| this kicks butt!!! love it |
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| Photographer found comment helpful. |
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05/09/2008 11:06:26 AM |
| wow a green-tailed towhee. cool. |
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| Photographer found comment helpful. |
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05/09/2008 10:15:23 AM |
| Shew this scares me nice shot. |
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| Photographer found comment helpful. |
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05/09/2008 10:13:15 AM |
| The bird is cropped very akwardly, and looks a little fake. |
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| Photographer found comment helpful. |
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05/09/2008 09:59:35 AM |
| this is pretty creative i like the thought. The sun is a little harsh though |
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| Photographer found comment helpful. |
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05/08/2008 10:29:34 PM |
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| Photographer found comment helpful. |
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05/08/2008 08:49:54 PM |
| Did your cat catch this bird for you to pose? It begs for my attention - quite a view of the claws. Points for being unique. |
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| Photographer found comment helpful. |
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05/08/2008 05:28:05 PM |
| Whoa this is very interesting. It looks like you sandwiched the bird onto a landscape. |
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| Photographer found comment helpful. |
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05/07/2008 11:03:17 PM |
| That's surreal! The sun is a little blown up but the details on the bird are awsome! |
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| Photographer found comment helpful. |
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05/07/2008 04:46:34 PM |
| The main subject is out of focus and not present enough. |
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05/07/2008 07:30:23 AM |
Interesting image
This has to be a photoshop creation
It is interesting but I do not enjoy created shots |
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05/07/2008 06:06:56 AM |
| OK, so we have a second version of this...this one is really well lit |
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| Photographer found comment helpful. |
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