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ctfchallenge | all galleries >> Challenge 106 - "T" >> C106 - Eligible > 6th
Tiny *
by CJ in CA
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29-APR-2006 CJ in CA

6th
Tiny *
by CJ in CA

Hummingbirds are some of the prettiest, quickest and tiniest little birds I have ever seen.
This Anna's Hummingbird is under 4" long and weighs only about .15 oz.

Canon EOS 350D
1/1250s f/8.0 at 300.0mm iso800 hide exif
Full EXIF Info
Date/Time29-Apr-2006 15:23:31
MakeCanon
ModelCanon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XT
Flash UsedNo
Focal Length300 mm
Exposure Time1/1250 sec
Aperturef/8
ISO Equivalent800
Exposure Bias
White Balance (-1)
Metering Modematrix (5)
JPEG Quality (6)
Exposure Programprogram (1)
Focus Distance

other sizes: small medium original auto
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ctfchallenge08-May-2006 05:51
Thanks Yvonne and Jano. I had to put up another feeder as we were having our own "Star Wars" here too! I'd love to capture two of them going at it but they're too fast for me! :-) CJ
ctfchallenge08-May-2006 00:36
My goal someday is to get a hummingbird as you did here. Excellent! jano
ctfchallenge07-May-2006 21:03
CJ, I too love these little creatures. Right now I have "star wars" happening over one of my four feeders. Not an easy shot to catch this clearly and with the sun illuminating the colors so well. Great job, Yvonne
ctfchallenge04-May-2006 21:39
With this type of orientation and a tight crop at the bottom. I did think of it too, at the end like the shrubbery at the top there.
-Techo
ctfchallenge04-May-2006 17:38
Thanks Britt! I never tire of trying to capture these pretty little birds and am planting shrubs and flowers to attract them even more! :-) CJ
Britt 03-May-2006 15:11
Beautiful capture!
Rod 03-May-2006 10:45
I agree that it could bland without the leaves.
ctfchallenge03-May-2006 04:49
Thanks Techo and Cat. I tried cropping it but it just looked too bland without the leaves, and I rather liked the way they point down to the hummingbird so thought I'd leave them in. CJ.
Guest 02-May-2006 20:11
Wonderful! Just wonderful! CJ! -Cat
(*) Not sure if the 3 elements (leaves?) hanging from the top are adding any value to the photo.
ctfchallenge02-May-2006 19:41
Perfection! great job with cleaning up the background :)
I rarely apply noise reduction to the whole photo. Spoiled I am by the DSLR.
Noise isn't very much noticable in the areas with detail, I apply it to the OOF background most of the time if I do use some kind of noise correction/removal.

I've only seen the hummer just once, but pretty far from sight. It indeed was really tiny compared to the other colorful birds I've seen in the area.

-Techo
ctfchallenge02-May-2006 13:47
Thanks Rod! I almost fell off my chair laughing when I saw I had written "dent"! The phrase "scratch and dent" store is used frequently here to describe a local business that sells large and small appliances at a deep discount that have been in model homes or are slightly freight damaged and may have a scratch or dent. I now want to go back and use that noise reduction tool on a few other pictures as I frequently shoot at high ISOs to help get the shutter speeds up in low light to stop action. :-) CJ
Rod 02-May-2006 11:04
Now the dents have gone I think we could or should be looking at a winner here. This is a super looking shot. Great work Carole:-)
ctfchallenge02-May-2006 04:43
I mean "DUST and scratches tool"!!!!! Thanks Techo for the info. ;-) CJ
ctfchallenge02-May-2006 04:09
Techo, here's a redo using the scratch and dent noise reduction. Neat tool! :-) CJ
ctfchallenge01-May-2006 14:46
Thanks Paty. Now to work on that noise reduction! :-) CJ
Paty 30-Apr-2006 23:28
Incredible.
ctfchallenge30-Apr-2006 20:56
Thanks Techo - I'll try it! :-) CJ
ctfchallenge30-Apr-2006 20:54
well that was the more complicated version ;) I just find that I have more control with the eraser tool, you can set the opacity and such and erase away for a very neat looking image. You can also selectivly apply the noise reduction as you mentioned, by using the Lasso tools, no layering required. Using the "Magnetic Lasso Tool" to select the bird, then expand(Select menu -> Modify -> Expand) the Selection by a pixel or two and then Inverse (Select -> Inverse) the selection. So now you should be left with the background selected, and can now apply the noise reduction.
-Techo
ctfchallenge30-Apr-2006 20:48
No problem at all :)
You can create a duplicate layer of the photo, and apply the noise reduction to the whole photo/layer. You have copy of the original layer so no worries. Not cerain if PS.E has the Noise->Dust & Scratches... filter, if it does you can use it to remove the noise, the background is fairly detailess so it should work very well for this purpose. Now once the filter(or other noise reduction method) is applied, use the Eraser tool, and start to erase the bird from that layer to reveal the detailed portion of the layer under it.

-Techo
ctfchallenge30-Apr-2006 20:07
Thanks Rod and Techo! I did the general noise reduction that is in PS Elements Techo but am not good enough at PP to know how to do it selectively for the background. Do I do it in layers and use the lasso or something to select the background? If you could tell me how to do it with Elements, I would greatly appreciate it! :-) CJ
ctfchallenge30-Apr-2006 19:41
Splendid capture! Beautiful color and the bird is tack sharp. If I only may suggestion some selective noise removal on just the background itself.
-Techo
ctfchallenge30-Apr-2006 14:46
I redid the PP and crop and there is no USM applied, just a little levels adjustment, contrast, and noise reduction, which usually softens an image. Better? :-) CJ
Rod 30-Apr-2006 02:37
Gawd you go on about getting a lens like RK for an easy bee shot & you have taken this which is far harder to get:-) There's a hard look to the bird but a great capture. Well done Carole.
ctfchallenge30-Apr-2006 00:05
Excellent capture CJ. These guys are really tough to shoot...you have done a great job. Love the background and the birds face is clear and sharp.
- RK