Ask Jim

ASK JIM

Every month, Jim will answer a question from his online students, from people who participate in his tours and workshops, or from subscribers to this magazine. If you have a question you’d like Jim to answer, please drop him a note at photos@jimzuckerman.com.

Q: Jim . . .I took this shot of a lilac-breasted roller last year in Africa, and it’s a beautiful bird but the branches that surround it are messy and distracting. You are a Photoshop expert. Is there any way to make this picture better, or is this pretty hopeless?

Sheri Kunz, Anaheim, California A: All of the branches, except the one on which the roller is perched, can and should be replaced with sky. The biggest challenge are the three branches that cross the tail. In order to eliminate them, you have to rebuild the portions of the tail that are currently hidden by those branches. That means you have to borrow from other portions of the tail and size them to coincide with how the tail feathers taper. This is doable, but it’s tricky. This picture is worth the investment in time, though, because if your Photoshop skills are up to par, the end result will be a beautiful image.

© Sheri Kunz 2020