Dark eyed junco

[Ben Egbert]

Ok, I have been working at “eager to learn” for a while, and wanted to test the waters here with what I think might be a worthy image. If not, please don’t hold back. This forum has been invaluable in helping me work on post processing and judging my store of images. I still have many that need to be shown there, so if you don’t see me here, it’s not
because you hurt my feelings.

50D 500f4+1.4x at f7.1 ISO200 1/125 sec. Tripod and Sidekick.

http://www.smugmug.com/photos/666063125_6ckgp-L.jpg

My own critique. Need a bit of head turn, and perhaps I need to clone out the upper corner branch. Would you leave the food bits in its mouth?

[Sid Garige]

Excellent self critique Ben. Personally, I would leave the food bits in its beak.
well exposed and composed.

[Doug Brown]

I think you nailed the self-critique Ben. Great detail in the bird's plumage and a nice soft BG. I don't mind the food.

[Harshad Barve]

I agree with you about cloning upper corner branch , food is okay for me
Lovely details in plumages and killer BG
TFS

[Connie Mier]

Exposure looks great and you got a nice bg too. I agree with your self critique, and food could go since it doesn't add much with its HA, IMHO.

[Ramon M. Casares]

I myself would remove the food, the rest you have said it yourself :) Nice pose, detail, BG and species thuogh. Congratulaitons!

[Kaustubh Deshpande]

Excellent self critique. Was it possible for you to move to your right and get a better angle? If it was, then you probably did but the bird flew off :-) happens to all of us all the time.

KD

[Ben Egbert]

Thanks all for the comments and especially the confirmation of the sefl critque. Thats the first step to knowing what to do in the field, and it is also useful for post processing. Nothing I could have done about the head angle other than the bird looking around and this was a very short visit and I was limited in standing space. But I could have done more clone work.