Under construction

[Christopher Marek]

Camera Model: Canon EOS 30D
Shutter speed: 1/60 sec
Aperture: 11
Exposure mode: Manual
Flash: Off
Metering mode: Spot
Drive mode: Single frame shooting
ISO: 400
Lens: EF500mm f/4L IS USM +1.4x
Focal length: 700mm
AF mode: Manual Focus

Much to my neighbors dismay, I refused to chop down a dying tree in my yard because I very much want the opportunity to photograph RBW. Unfortunately, mostly starlings moved in. I don't know how RBWs can even survive with starlings around.

[Deborah Hanson]

I like the position of the bird in the photograph. Although the photo looks a bit soft (my monitor?) there is good detail in the eye and feathers. I really like the wood chips on the birds head.
Is it possible to shoot a bit faster? The softness might be due to the slow speed.
Also the burn in the background around the bill and in the upper left is a bit distracting. Not sure if you tried to lighten the area or not.
Again, I like that you caught the bird's head in the tree. Amazingly small area for the bird.

[Art Peslak]

Nice catch with the bird's head coming through the hole. I think some selective sharpening on the head would help as it appears a tad bit soft. The white halo around the bill is distracting to me.

[Christopher Marek]

Thanks very much for the comments. It really helps me to know how others see things. This image is a significant crop. That probably accounts for the "softness" more than my shutter speed. (or maybe not, is the tree bark sharper than the bird? ) I did a HUGE amount of background cleanup. There were leaves and sticks behind the bird. And as luck (bad) would have it, the birds beak coincided with a break in the bg leaf clutter to show open sky behind it.
I did a gausian blur on the back ground, but my photo shop skills are not good enough to "close in" the sky behind the beak with green. I was only able to blur the hard edges from the back ground leaves, but without bringing in the green all the way to the bird. I wonder if there is a way to do that?

Hey Art, I like your profession, I just recently got awarded a patent for a piece of night photography equipment.