Monday, April 05, 2010

gotcha

I waited last week for this chickadee, but it did not come. This time I shot through the closed window, but I think they still came out okay. I wish there were something I could do about the light though. There is a strong backlight, and not enough up front. I seriously considered pounding out a sheet of aluminum (from a gutter) to attach to the sill, so we could see the bird's face clearer. If the window was open, I would have used the flash. Anyway, Taa-Daa!!

.

I trust you had a good Easter. My pastor gave a message that highlighted the different reactions to the Lord's resurrection. I am fascinated by varied responses to the same initial data. People are interesting.

16 comments:

imac said...

Nice shots - my friend.
Why not try Photoshop the light and fill-in with a slighter dark colour.

Gaelyn said...

So worth the wait Craver. The chickidee is so cute. Looks fine thru the window. But Photoshop couldn't hurt.

Craver Vii said...

Imac, I use a free Google program called Picasa, and I already fiddled with these images a little. I dare not do much more, otherwise they start to look fake.

I don't know, Gaelyn. I'll bet I COULD make it hurt. I have committed all manner of atrocities in the hope of "fixing" something or trying to make it look better. For example, I have a drawer at home that I tried to make. It is sturdy and clean, but it does not fit the space because I kept trimming a little here and a little there, trying to get it right.

TubbyHippo said...

i like chickadees
they are so cute.

SAPhotographs (Joan) said...

They came out really great Craver. You see, all we need in this world is patience. :)

lime said...

i never would have guessed they were shot through the window. looks great to me. the squirrel shot cracks me up.

different reactions indeed. food for thought.

Chris said...

Wow these four pictures of the chickadees are gorgeous! You managed well through the window well done... With a bit of patience, then you can get what you want ;-)
I'm happy you love your new camera and got a 300mm lens... Congrats!

Craver Vii said...

Well hello Casey. Do I know you? Thanks for visiting. I was going to return the favor, but I could not link to your blog. Regardless, it was nice of you to stop by. Welcome.

Joan, I never, never use absolutes. No Ma'am, I always avoid that, 'cause it'll get you in a heap of trouble every time. ;-) Hey Joan, I liked the pics of you at Gaelyn's, especially seeing how you really get down into the bug shots.

I wish I had better light and sharper focus in that squirrel shot, but it was a funny "pose" Lime, so I felt compelled to include it.

Chris, it was providential that I found a spot to look through in that window without reflections. Merci beaucoup!

happyone said...

I think the pictures came out great.

imac said...

I also have Picasa and use it quite a lot, for my flower pics for cards and mounted pics, just to darken and bring the light just where it should be to set them off to their best.

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

Craver: Those Chickadees come in quickly for a bite.

Craver Vii said...

Thank you Happyone. I was happy with the results.

Picasa is great; isn't it? Imac, I hope to get better with the camera settings, so that I don't rely on post editing as much, but those tools sure come in handy.

Golly Fishing Guy... do they really bite you?? ;-) It was rewarding to finally capture a few images of the black-capped chickadee. Let's see... what's next?

EG CameraGirl said...

I think your photos of the chickadees are very, very good, Craver!

DeniseinVA said...

Ah you took some lovely shots of that darling little chickadee. I am patiently waiting for mine. Love the squirrel too.

Wendy said...

Great captures! They look very good, even through the window. If you're not completely happy with them you could always fix them up a little using photoshop or another program :) I like to play with the brightness and contrast just a smidge, and saturation. Just play with it and see what you can come up with! Either way, I love your photos the way they are :)

Craver Vii said...

My cat was not very, very good EG. I kept shooing him away and shoving him aside from the window until finally, one of the kids picked him up. The credit for these pics should probably go to D2 then, eh?

That squirrel was a character! Dot, I kept the camera trained on him, watching for better light, but this pose was too cute.

Thanks Leeloo. [(whispering) I did tamper with the contrast, but just a little.] The tough part was that they were predominately backlit without an adequate reflector up front. Maybe I'll try to extend that feeder out to the edge of the soffit to avoid its shadow.