Red Grouse on a winters morning

[Mike Poole]

167309


Lousy weather forecast near me today for my day off work, but sunshine predicted for a Grouse area a couple of hours away. Did the early start thing, then ran into thick fog which put an hour on the journey and meant I got to see the beautiful sunrise about 10 minutes away from the Moors! Never mind, always next time!

I was hoping for flight shots, hence the settings, but didn't get anything in the air worth sharing,

Canon 1dx
500mm f4is + 1.4x ii
1/2500th f5.6
ISO 3200

Small crop from the left and a bit off the top for comp.

Mike

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Mike, lovely angled pose, and I like your low perspective. Good plumage detail, and I do like the colours on the Grouse. The colours of the BG round the image off nicely.

I really feel for you guys with your type of weather. Im like a bear with a sore head if it rains for one day that I cant go out photographing. :w3 There again, you are in your winter months, and not that your image shows that at all.

[keith mitchell]

Do like this Mike going to say autumnal but that's behind us ,your Grouse looks excellent and fits very nicely onto that good bg.
Just a matter of interest but would you have used ISO 3200 normally for a sitting bird?just my inquisitive mind.

Keith.

[annmpacheco]

Hi Mike, lovely grouse with a killer BG and nice vegetation in the FG. Love the colors. Boy the screaming orange red "eyebrows" are terrific!

[Jonathan Ashton]

Lovely shot Mike, I like the shallow DOF and the exposure/colours. I also like the head angle, in an ideal world I would like to see the feet, I realise of course that's not where we are!
It looks great as it is, you may wish to consider enhancing the mid tones a fraction it does render a tad more detail?

[David Salem]

What a great looking Grouse frame Mike!! Love the heather it's standing in and the raised eye comb looks fantastic. Great details, exposure and BG too. Very nice

[Mike Poole]

Sorry, double post

[Mike Poole]

Do like this Mike going to say autumnal but that's behind us ,your Grouse looks excellent and fits very nicely onto that good bg.
Just a matter of interest but would you have used ISO 3200 normally for a sitting bird?just my inquisitive mind.

Keith.

Hi Keith, thanks for stopping by.

Normally, I'd prefer something a little lower, but I was set up to try (and fail!) to get some flight shots. there is only a minimal crop on this, so in good light, small crop and expose to the right, I'm more than happy with the 1dx at ISO 3200, so it's almost like having the camera set up for 2 different styles at the same time!

I find that unless they're on a wall, then grouse generally only give you a few seconds before moving off, so no real time to change - with hindsight I'd probably have lowered the ISO knowing I was only going for a static shot.

Mike

[Mike Poole]

Lovely shot Mike, I like the shallow DOF and the exposure/colours. I also like the head angle, in an ideal world I would like to see the feet, I realise of course that's not where we are!
It looks great as it is, you may wish to consider enhancing the mid tones a fraction it does render a tad more detail?

Cheers Jon, what would you suggest I do? I only do pretty basic PS, always want to learn more

Mike