Wison warbler

[Ray Rozema]

Nikon D200 600 mm TC 1.4x
aperture Priority, F 5.6 , SS 1/1500 , +.3 EV
ISO 400, Flash Backfill -1.3 EV ,Matrix meter
Cloned out few branches.

My questions /concern.
Is the bird too big in the picture ie. should I have cropped less.
Bird is a little soft
It almost look the edges of the bird are too sharp giving it cookie cut effect. I tried to do A Morris's Refine edge. I have been able to do it in the past but this time I could not figure out how to select the edges this time
The tail looks little funny/soft, not due to cloning, but probably outside of DOF.

Eager to see your suggestions

Thanks for looking
Ray Rozema

[Dave Mills]

Hi Ray, I feel your image has alot of good qualities. For my taste I wanted to make the image as "clean" as possible which wasn't hard to do. I got rid of the lower branch on the left. Not really adding anything to the image and showed selection remnants. I also cleaned up the top(some might like that look) and cropped the image tighter. The bird is sharp and IMO you handled the flash well.

[Fabs Forns]

I like the OP except for the branch on the lower left corner. Although I could salsa go with Dave's crop, I like to include as much habitat as humanly possible. Your yellows look OK. What you could do is selectively sharpen the eye.
You can find the how to in this thread, the same method used to blurring:

http://www.birdphotographers.net/forums/showthread.php?t=834

[Harold Davis]

i agree with fabs, i like the leaves at the top but the branch at the bottom needs an eviction notice. cant help you with your masking issues. i just use the brush. i think the mixed light might not have helped you. stopping down and using some fill flash might have helped.

loving that pose! you got his attention!!

[Cal Walters]

Ditto Fabs. I would also see if there is some detail in the eye that could be brought out. It looks like the light was there.

[Lance Peters]

hi - SO many different ways to go about the masking - can use quick masks ti adjust as well - make your selection however you wish - press q - enters quick mask mode - press b (brush) - make sure you have white/black selected in the colours and use x to switch between them - then its a simple matter of painting away the area's you want or dont want - Press q again to exit quick mask mode and return to your selection.

Like Daves repost - prefer the original - would just evict the branch in the LLC - like how the branches at the top frame the subject.
Think there is more detail in the bird that could be coaxed out with some additional sharpening.
I have gone at the sharpening a little harder than you want to - just to demonstrate.

[Mark Young]

G'day Ray. I like your original composition. I think the leaves above work nicely to frame the bird.

[Alfred Forns]

All have their own appeal and all good !! Do prefer the seeing the habitat as long as its pleasing ... and it is !! Agree in evicting the lower left branch !!! Lost of detail and love that yellow !!!

[Ray Rozema]

thanks very much to everyone for your comments and suggestions. As usual very helpful
the increased sharpening helps I was afraid of oversharpening.
My wife told me to leave the lower branch so what could I do.

Thanks
Ray Rozema:)