Northern Parula - which is best?

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Turberticus

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I took tons of photos of this Northern Parula last July, however it was under low light conditions under the forest canopy. Needless to say the light was challenging which resulted in many photos taken at high ISO, plus all the green from the leaves resulted in varying white balance and some green cast on the bird so editing has been tricky. I keep going back to re-edit these photos, but I can't really decide which photo I like best from both a composition and technical standpoint, so I was hoping to get some constructive criticism and hear thoughts from those with more experience shooting small songbirds. I should point out that the background of the clean photo of the singing Parula was cleaned up using the healing brush so the green may look a little sloppy.

Photos here:

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zurbert82.smugmug.com zurbert82.smugmug.com

Thanks!
 
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Turberticus said:
I took tons of photos of this Northern Parula last July, however it was under low light conditions under the forest canopy. Needless to say the light was challenging which resulted in many photos taken at high ISO, plus all the green from the leaves resulted in varying white balance and some green cast on the bird so editing has been tricky. I keep going back to re-edit these photos, but I can't really decide which photo I like best from both a composition and technical standpoint, so I was hoping to get some constructive criticism and hear thoughts from those with more experience shooting small songbirds. I should point out that the background of the clean photo of the singing Parula was cleaned up using the healing brush so the green may look a little sloppy.

Photos here:

search

zurbert82.smugmug.com zurbert82.smugmug.com

Thanks!
Click to expand...
This is the one I like the most (a screenshot - the original looks sharper). It's sharp in the eye and across most of the body. The softness of the one foot is not an issue. It's well exposed and has some space in front of the bird. It's angled slightly toward the camera. It would be better if there was a bit more of a catchlight in the eye and there was more action such as signing. You can create the catchlight with a flash.

The other images with the bird singing are at the wrong angles with somewhat awkward views of the bird posture. This one is just right. Some of the other images have foliage blocking the subject, depth of field issues, or the subject facing slightly away from the camera. The better you get, the higher the bar is raised.
Screenshot 2022-02-12 120431.jpg
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Warblers are tough. From a birding perspective the entire set is good. A photographic perspective raises the bar and requires excellent focus, good backgrounds, and excellent posture and head position. The something special is a moment of action or behavior. With some subjects, it's eating food, courtship behavior, maybe preening, or flight. I prefer food or song for warblers.
 
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Thanks for your feedback. I love photographing warblers. The fun part is finding them, but photographing them brings on a whole new set of challenges. There wasn't much I could have done about the lighting, poses and foliage without more time with the subject, but I have to agree that number 1 is best. I don't really care if some of the bird such as the tail or legs is out of focus as long as the eye/head is sharp, but the lighting, composition and pose also has to work in those situations. Hopefully I'll grab some better shots this spring and summer.
 
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Turberticus said:
Thanks for your feedback. I love photographing warblers. The fun part is finding them, but photographing them brings on a whole new set of challenges. There wasn't much I could have done about the lighting, poses and foliage without more time with the subject, but I have to agree that number 1 is best. I don't really care if some of the bird such as the tail or legs is out of focus as long as the eye/head is sharp, but the lighting, composition and pose also has to work in those situations. Hopefully I'll grab some better shots this spring and summer.
Click to expand...
I liked #1, but the lower beak is showing a lot of motion blur. You were at 1/250 sec. Because the bird is singing, that's a focal point and when the focal point is blurred, it's a negative. I could see that it is showing motion and a sense of action, but it still won't do it for me.

Here's a link to Getty Images with a search based on a Warbler Singing. As you can see, they are all very sharp and crisp. That's the standard.

670 Warbler Singing Stock Photos, High-Res Pictures, and Images - Getty Images

Explore Authentic Warbler Singing Stock Photos & Images For Your Project Or Campaign. Less Searching, More Finding With Getty Images.
www.gettyimages.com
 
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EricBowles said:
I liked #1, but the lower beak is showing a lot of motion blur. You were at 1/250 sec. Because the bird is singing, that's a focal point and when the focal point is blurred, it's a negative. I could see that it is showing motion and a sense of action, but it still won't do it for me.

Here's a link to Getty Images with a search based on a Warbler Singing. As you can see, they are all very sharp and crisp. That's the standard.

670 Warbler Singing Stock Photos, High-Res Pictures, and Images - Getty Images

Explore Authentic Warbler Singing Stock Photos & Images For Your Project Or Campaign. Less Searching, More Finding With Getty Images.
www.gettyimages.com
Click to expand...
Oh woops, I didn't mean #1! For some reason I thought the photo you included was #1. Anyway, I shot that in low light which is why I was at 1/250 and immediately noticed the blurred beak. I kinda like how it implies motion but a sharp beak with no motion blur would have been much better. I was hoping that in my short burst I would catch one that had little to no motion blur.

Thanks for the link. I've seen tons of great photos from the likes of Ray Hennessy, Josh Galicki, Scott Keys, and more. This is just an example of some of their work: https://www.joshuagalicki.com/search#q=Parula Anyway, I realize I have some more work to do to get on their level, but am always looking for feedback/criticism to up my game.
 
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