Red-Backed Shrike

[Robert Ainslie]

Image taken at Roodeplaat Dam South Africa.
Bird did not want to turn around. :)

Canon 5D4, 500F4
ISO 400
F8
1/500 sec

Lightroom:
Cropped for presentation
Medium contrast, highlights and shadows adjusted.

Any advice will be appreciated.
Regards

[Daniel Cadieux]

Hi Robert, welcome to BPN!! Beautiful bird, good perch. Comp is OK, you did well to go vertical here. I like the crossed wings feathers. A few issues are present: First, the head angle is not ideal. It is almost always best when the head is angled at least parallel to us (especially for back images such as here), or 2-3 degrees towards. Also problematic is the large blown out white patch on the cheek and throat. Part of that issue is the harsh light you photographed your subject in. Perhaps during raw conversion you may be able to tame this and retain some detail - try reducing the whites and the highlights to see if that works. Still best to go out in early morning, or late afternoon light though (or overcast between those times).

Anyhow, you've found the best place on the web to help you learn and grow as a bird photographer. Don't be shy, and looking forward to your continued participation!

[John Mack]

I believe Daniel covered this quite well.

[Noel Heustis]

Rob - Daniel has already given great advise. I love this background, the perspective, the subject, and the perch. As you stated, it would have been great if the bird turned and looked back. I'm looking forward to seeing more images.

[Krishna Prasad kotti]

Nice Image with beautiful back ground. I agree with all the comments.

Noise Reduction in the background will also help.

Welcome to the Forum.

[Dorian Anderson]

Welcome - and a nice first post! I second the others comments. Keep posting, there's a lot to learn here! I know, I'm going through it myself!

[Jonathan Ashton]

I like the shot, the angle as mentioned is not ideal but the title suits it well. In addition to the highlights I would try a little less exposure and also reduce the contrast to see if you are able to achieve a better light balance.

[Robert Ainslie]

Thank you all for the good wishes and valuable comments :)