Violet Cuckoo

[Paul Kusmin]

Shot this bird at Kaeng Krachan National Park, Thailand in December.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3345/3213582235_ca55bcf03b_o.jpg

Nikon D300 + 500mm f4 AFS-I + 1.4x tele
exposure: 1/500
aperture: f/8
focal length: 700mm
ISO: 320
exposure bias: -1/3 EV
Flash fired
A priority

thanks for looking :)

[Maxis Gamez]

Hi Paul,

Wonderful colors. I would like to see more room in front of the bird. Looks too centered IMO.

Keep them coming!

[Ákos Lumnitzer]

Neat looking cuckoo! I love the sheens of color through the feathers. Wonderful! Thanks for posting and keep it up as Maxis said. :)

[Arthur Morris]

Killer bird and lovely BKGR, yet it fails as a good image because of the poor head angle. I am surprised that the two previous posters did not notice that....

IAC, welcome. What were you doing in Thailand?

[Ákos Lumnitzer]

I am surprised that the two previous posters did not notice that....

Hi Artie,

While not necessarily perfect to BPN expectations, it is a matter of personal taste and I don't particularly find the head angle that unacceptable at all. :) I could, however, have mentioned the noise in the dark areas, toning down the bright highlights on the perch the other two posters failed to mention? ;)

My personal belief is that too much critique (whether constructive or not) may also discourage new people from posting or further participating.

Best regards :)

[Paul Kusmin]

Thanks for the comments and critique.
I was lucky to find a very cooperative bird and had the opportunity to get a few different head angles before it flew off.

My wife and I spent 3 weeks in and around Bangkok area photographing birds during our holiday break in December.
We shot over 100 species and met quite a few of the local bird photographers as well, cool trip.

[Doug Brown]

It's a spectacular bird with a great BG. While I agree with Artie about the head angle, I think his statement that the the photo fails as a good image may be a little strong. I would like to see more room on the left of the frame, and I would definitely tone down the perch some. Thanks for posting!

[Juan Aragonés]

I agree about the need for more room at the left but I like a lot your result. The species is really cool and the BG works fine. terrific sharpness and light. The head angle works for me. Keep them coming :-)

[Arthur Morris]

Perhaps I was too strong in my comment as I do like the image. A lot. But I simply cannot rave about an image when the head angle is far less than ideal. Had the bird here looked to its left and then cocked its head down, Paul would have had a potential contest winner. A lot to ask for? Yes. But it is my assumption that we are all striving for perfection.... And head angle is particularly vital when the angle of inclination to the bird is fairly steep as it is here.

[Ed Prete]

While head angle is not ideal, the color is excellent and it's fantastic to see a creature we may not all get to see ever in our lives. Striving for perfection is one thing, but having realistic expectations is sometimes necessary as we frequently must take what is offered and make the best of it. Personally though, I find the vibrance in the branch/perch in the initial posted image more distracting that the head angle.

[Norm Dulak]

Less than optimal head angle notwithstanding, this is a beautiful image that is greatly appreciated.