Some birds out the window

[mmeyer]

Hey All,

I am home with my sick little girl today but my feeders have been busy. I got some shots thru the window that weren't too bad.

Not all the sharpest but what are ya gonna do?

[finnbay]

I like the look on those last juncos - they are COLD!

[Dbl]

Cold but warming up!

[mmeyer]

Yeah, they sure look cold. They're tougher than I that's for sure.

Those Juncos are hard to get right. The exposures kill me on them.

I need some more practice on them that's for sure.

[MN Shutterbug]

I'll never understand how these small birds, along with chickadees, can handle this cold weather. Your junco looks like it's about ready to turn into an ice cube.

[Dbl]

Mike,

Dark bird against a light background, you are shooting manual which is a plus! Try the meter off the hand trick to get you in the ballpark and check the histogram after you shoot the bird. Most likely you will have to open up just a bit more. I know I have advocated the hand meter trick numerous times and you probably don't want to hear it again but its funny, I was having a beer last night after a job with a highly experienced former newspaper photographer and he was talking about the things he remembers about photography after being out about 4 or 5 years. He said the first thing he recalls is shoot manual, meter off the hand and open up about a stop and you will nail the exposure....

Again I find in snow you most likely won't have to open that stop but experiment a bit and see how close you come. This may or may not work for you but I am confident it will get you very close to proper exposure. Each cameras meter is just a bit different as well. One other tip for you, you are posting your shots in the Adobe RGB color space. If you save your shots that will be posted on the web in sRGB your colors will pop considerably better. Remember that sRGB is the standard color space for the Internet and your browser is optimized for that profile. Your work is looking great and will only get better!

[mmeyer]

Thanks Dan,

The hand trick, if would have remembered it , wouldn't have worked with me in the house, would it? It is something I have done but it's not a habit for me yet. Although there isn't much that is yet.

As far as the color space, I have my camera set to sRGB so I must have PS changing it for me. I have my prints done at a lab so I want sRGB for that too so I better get that figured out. I didn't know that was happening.

Thanks Dan,

I do appreciate it!!

[Dbl]

It would work in the house with your hand by the window, the same light that was falling on the bird though glass can cause up to a one stop loss. Photoshop is changing your profile, I just checked one of your images in CS2 and it said it was in Adobe RBG. The exif data shows "color space uncalibrated" as well.

In Photoshop look under edit and you will find Color settings, there you can tell the working space. Under that will be assign profile, that will give assign the profile you want embedded in the file. Your lab will specify what color space they want the file in, as you said that will most likely be sRBG.

[mmeyer]

Does color space uncalibrated mean that my monitor isn't calibrated?

I think I got PS straightened out. We'll see I guess!

thanks again

[MN Shutterbug]

 Originally Posted By: Dbl

It would work in the house with your hand by the window, the same light that was falling on the bird though glass can cause up to a one stop loss.

How is it possible to have the same light falling on something that is indoors as it is on something that is outdoors? If the lights are off inside, there will be very little light hitting the hand. Even if you could stick your hand outside the window, it would still be shaded by the house. I'm a bit confused.

[MARINERMAGNUM]

Good job mmeyer. That junco could use some chili. I thought I was the only person who tried to shoot thru the windows!

Here are 2 from last Sat. morning thru the L/R window while I was watching my girls watch Dora.

Canon 30D,100-400IS,Anderson Picture window,iso 100

[mmeyer]

Great images MM. I see your windows are clean too.

[Steve Foss]

MM, nice images. And I like how you posted the window make/model as though it were exif data.

[MN Shutterbug]

Steve, you beat me to the punch re: the window. Beautiful images.

[Kyle Sandberg]

Wow, I love the 1st pic. Looks awesome!

[Dbl]

Nice images MM. Are your Andersons considered "L" quality?

Um....X I don't know what to say. If I am standing next to my window and the sun is shining in, it is the same sun that is shining outside my window. Take a few meter readings standing next to the window of your hand, grey card or whatever you want and then go outside and take a reading with the same light falling on your hand. With some loss due to reflectance and glass thickness my windows lose about 1/3 of a stop, unless they are dirty, which is most of the time.

[finnbay]

Hey mariner, those are some great shots! All puffed up - they've got the "down" working overtime!

[mmeyer]

Dan and X, the light in my case was not coming into my window but more going away and to the side. In this case I can see X's side. If the light is coming in then I can see DBL's side. Don't know which is right but that's the way I would see it.

JMHO

[MARINERMAGNUM]

 Quote:

Nice images MM. Are your Andersons considered "L" quality?

They're insulated Low "e" glass-but no UD or Flourite

Thanks to all for the compliments!

[Dbl]

 Originally Posted By: mmeyer

Does color space uncalibrated mean that my monitor isn't calibrated?

I think I got PS straightened out. We'll see I guess!

thanks again

Forgot to answer this one for you Mike. What that means is you have not assigned a working profile for Photoshop. Your working space should be a standard color space, such as sRGB if that is what you are shooting in camera. Is that as clear as mud when it comes to which color calibration and monitor and profiles and.....

[mmeyer]

Got it Dan, just like you said, clear as mud .I think I do have a better handle on it though.

Thanks

[MN Shutterbug]

The way I look at it is, if the light is coming into the window, and you are facing the subject, then the same light is actually behind the subject.

[buzzsaw]

Fill flash would be great, Mike. Maybe check out the Better Beamer.