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Thread: Wagtail Dilemma

  1. #1

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    Wagtail Dilemma

    I have been trying to take a decent shot of these wagtails for months - if not years. They are just too quick for me. I was about to dump another batch when I took one last look through failures and found one that could be made acceptable with a little help from PS.

    The only problem is whether to show it full bodied and a bit cramped on the left, or to cut its tail off and show more detail in the head - after all, this bird is defined by its tail.

    Wagtail Dilemma


    Wagtail Dilemma



    I am including this last shot just for fun - cropped from a 100% zoom

    Are You Looking at Me!!??
    Wagtail Dilemma

  2. #2
    pnodrog's Avatar
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    Re: Wagtail Dilemma

    Have you thought of cloning some of the left hand side of the second photograph onto a cropped version of the first? Just extend the canvas on the left of the first and then clone onto it and crop.

  3. #3

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    Re: Wagtail Dilemma

    I could do that, Paul, but both are cropped from the same, larger, frame. I cropped it so that I could see more detail around the bird's face. If I add background back in to the left, then I am back where I started.

  4. #4
    Shadowman's Avatar
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    Re: Wagtail Dilemma

    I like the third image.

  5. #5
    IzzieK's Avatar
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    Re: Wagtail Dilemma

    I love Willy Wagtail...they are interesting creatures, very fast moving. I am glad you got a good shot of it. I love the shine of its feathers and the last one really made it for me...cute!

  6. #6

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    Re: Wagtail Dilemma

    Definitely do not crop the tail. It looks like you have enough frame to leave a bit more on left and top.

    Those little buggers are fast. One thing I did notice about their behavior is that they would tend to find a spot on a fence or some other perch to which they would keep returning. They'd fly down and do the tail wag, grab a bug, then return to the same spot to eat it quickly and repeat the cycle. When you see them do that maybe you can stake out the perch. Sounds quite simple from 15,000km away

  7. #7

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    Re: Wagtail Dilemma

    Yes, that was my first thought. Crop the top, maybe 3 x 2 ratio, and then the left side will appear to be bigger.

  8. #8
    wtlwdwgn's Avatar
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    Re: Wagtail Dilemma

    Nice shooting. I agree that a 3:2 crop would look better. Just my $0.02.

  9. #9
    pnodrog's Avatar
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    Re: Wagtail Dilemma

    Quote Originally Posted by FootLoose View Post
    I could do that, Paul, but both are cropped from the same, larger, frame. I cropped it so that I could see more detail around the bird's face. If I add background back in to the left, then I am back where I started.
    Why not do a crop including the tail and and keeping as much room as possible on the left then. Forget about cropping to a standard ratio if that is the problem.

  10. #10

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    Re: Wagtail Dilemma

    Thanks Paul, John, Izzie, Dan , Geoff and Steve. I don't usually worry about crop ratios as I always print on A4, but I have applied a 3:2 crop and that works well. Thanks for the suggestion. My problem was not being able to view the whole bird on my screen at a large enough size so that I can see the whiskers around his beak and eye. But this looks ok to me.

    Dan, I see this pair nearly every time I go out. They wait for people to come walking by and then swoop around their feet snapping up bugs. But I just sit at a picnic table and they soon come around me, looking for food or whatever. The problem always, as you note, is to catch one in the brief moment when it is not moving.

    Wagtail Dilemma

  11. #11

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    Re: Wagtail Dilemma

    Quote Originally Posted by FootLoose View Post
    ...The problem always, as you note, is to catch one in the brief moment when it is not moving.
    Maybe you can catch some of their favorite bugs and soak them in whiskey overnight. That should slow them down.

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