Oly E-M1 @ 270mm, f/7.1, 1/400s, ISO-250.

Edited in darktable.

I’m new to photography and editing. I’m looking for advice on if this is a decent edit or should I have approached it differently? Most photos I see have more contrast, but if I push my blacks down anymore I’m afraid they’ll get crushed too much. Some already are with the current exposure. I don’t hate this edit personally, but I’d like it to look more “professional.” Any editing advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

  • BroBot9000@lemmy.worldEnglish
    41·
    9 days ago

    This is already looking like a solid starting point! I find a lot beginners fall into the trap with over sharpening and making it to contrasty.

    With how dark the parts on the head of the bird I could see why you wouldn’t want to push the shadows too much but the shadows on the rest of the image could be brought down a bit more if that’s the look you would want to go for though.

    But that’s really the key point, how you want it to look and the overall feeling the image conveys. Making the creative choices and experimenting is going to help you find the right balance of colour correction and stylistic grade that will make your images pop.

    You are off to a great start already!

    Check out https://pixelfed.social/Cyanistes They post some amazing bird photography that will surely inspire you.