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Ted Busby
01-07-2008, 06:05 PM
Out Saturday; I managed to see a couple of lifers (Hoary Redpoll & Northern Shrike)...

Nope...No photo ops for me this time.

However; I did see this beautiful Pileated Woodpecker land in behind a birch tree.
I approached quietly and recorded a few images.

Both images -- 30D; 100-400mm @ 400mm; 1/640' f5.6; ISO 800; EC + 2/3; Flash for fill @ - 2/3.

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c23/busbyea/PileatedWoodpecker-001-Edit.jpg
Axel Hildebrandt
01-07-2008, 06:10 PM
Great find, Ted. The exposure looks good but I would have preferred to see more of the bird and less of the tree. If you would have moved a bit to the right the image would have been even stronger.
Rosl Roessner
01-08-2008, 08:40 AM
Hi Ted,
.... but if you would have moved a bit to right, may be the bird would have left you and the tree alone :-))

Wonderful bird and impressive picture; I like it a lot!
Larry Kaufman
01-08-2008, 09:09 AM
Great subject Ted. I think with the Birch tree so strong in the composition I would prefer to see it in focus. With that said it looks like the exposure was challenging given ISO 800 and wide open. I'm also seeing jpeg compression or some other processing artifact around the border of the head and chest. This is just a guess, but If you selected the background to blur it or remove noise you might have wanted to use refine edges on the selection to smooth the transition.

Regards,
Larry
Axel Hildebrandt
01-08-2008, 10:25 AM
Hi Ted,
.... but if you would have moved a bit to right, may be the bird would have left you and the tree alone :-))



Good point. But then, you never know. :)
Daniel Cadieux
01-08-2008, 11:58 AM
Hi Ted, always nice to get close to a Pileated! I think less tree would benefit this shot - maybe half of what is visible here. If your hands are steady enough you could have tried a smaller aperture than wide open. If this is the same individual that I think it has been frequenting the area alot lately...more ops!!
Jody Melanson
01-08-2008, 07:23 PM
Ted! Good to see you here buddy. :) Nice image, wish there was more room for his tail also...bit of a sharpening halo on his beak...