American Goldfinch

[Brian Barcelos]

This is the closest I've ever been allowed next to one of these guys. They were busy eating and didn't mind my presence for once but still only stuck around for maybe a max of two minutes. I did hope for a better perch that didn't cover either the legs or wing but that is the most I could get. I also had some hot spots in the yellows but not too bad and was able to recover with the slider. Also cloned out a small leaf to the right of his head. Hope you all like it. C/C appreciated.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2590/3754145078_a2557cf4a2_o.jpg

Tv 1/2500
Av 6.3
Evaluative Metering
Exp Comp +2/3
ISO 800
Tamron 200-500mm@500mm

[Ramon M. Casares]

Very nice light, BG and pose, I like the species a lot.
Perch as you said is not ideal and I would recomend to tone the whole thing down a bit as it looks a little too bright on my monitor. Also I would suggest to crop from the left to de-center the bird.
Congratulations!

[Phil Ertel]

Nice pose with a good head angle. I agree with you on the perch. I also agree with Ramon on cropping to move the bird away from the center. An enjoyable image, thanks for sharing.

[Stu Bowie]

Although covering his legs, I dont mind the perch. The goldfinch looks well exposed, and agree with Ramon, to move him to the left a bit.

[Thomas Boysen]

I like the pose very much. It doesn't appear too broight on my screen, the yellow actually seems less vibrant than my perception of the real thing, which we have in our yard often enough. When cropping, I would also take a bit off the bottom, not only the left.

[Brian Barcelos]

Took everything said and here goes. Crop from left and bottom, boosted the yellows slightly and toned down the foliage a bit.Thanks for the suggestions.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3423/3755305306_0b43cf6edb_o.jpg

Brian