Kingbird?

[Bob Shaw]

This is an older shot of mine with an unusual BG. C and C most welcome. Thanks, Bob

http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd276/BobandPat/kingbird.jpg

[Axel Hildebrandt]

Interesting setting, pose and fanned tail. I would sharpen the bird more and yes, it is an Eastern Kingbird.

[Ákos Lumnitzer]

HI Bob,

It's a good idea to share the camera and technical details of exposure, iso etc.. it also helps us formulate our comments. :) I would definitely sharpen a little more, as it does appear a little soft. Sometimes, selectively sharpening around the eye will pop the image more as a sharp eye tends to fool a viewer into perceiving overall sharpness. That out of focus (OOF) patch in the lower left corner (LLC) is a little distracting. I do like the setting, diagonal composition and really dig that fanned tail but I don't know the species; sorry. Axel has to be right. :)

Thanks for sharing, looking forward to seeing more.

[Don Lacy]

Nice pose on the King Bird, while I don't have a problem with the BG I would darken it to give more weight to the subject.

[Bob Shaw]

I had the info right here and forgot to put it in.... sorry I am getting older. :-(

20D,70-200+1.4TC,@f6.3
ISO200,1/800sec

[Fabs Forns]

Here's an example of a busy BG that is not intrusive at all. Darkening it a bit would probably make it even better.
I love the fanned tail and especially the look back. Thanks for sharing!

[Bob Shaw]

Thanks for all the suggestions! I've darkened the bg and sharpened the bird a little. Bob

http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd276/BobandPat/kingbird-3.jpg

[Daniel Cadieux]

Yes, nice Eastern Kingbird. A very territorial member of the flycatcher family when in nesting season (fun to watch them chase off other bird species, including much larger ones such as herons and hawks!!). I too like the "leafy" setting, and I love how the visible foot is clawing the leaves together.

I'm seeing a slight red/magenta cast on the bird - most noticeable on the tail and back. In the repost I desturated the magenta channel completely, and the red channel 70 points. I also recropped as I found there was too much space at left with both the bird looking towards the left and its tail pointing that way. Notice I was careful not to clip the leaf in LLC. Ideally you'd also have a bit more canvas at right. Oh, and I alo dodged the head area behind the eye. Hope you like :-)

[Stu Bowie]

With regards to your original post, lovely pose, with a super head turn. Your repost works so much better with the darkened BG, and Daniel has done a good job with the cast.