Tufted Titmouse

[Bill Dix]

One of my backyard friends. A higher ss would have been better; I've been trying to keep the ISO under 800 when possible.

D90 | 80-400 VR @ 310mm w/ 25mm ext. tube | ISO 640 | 1/80s @ f7.1 | HH (braced on chair)

[Bhushan Dalvi]

Bill , this is a beautiful capture. I like the HA, BG and the perch.;)

[Arthur Morris]

The image is sharp enough for me. Was this at a set-up?

Though not text book the head angle works with this pose. A crop makes it even more effective.

[denise ippolito]

Bill, I like the pose and sharpness.The repost w/o the clutter on top is nice. This bird has an adorable look to it.

[Bill Dix]

The image is sharp enough for me. Was this at a set-up?

Though not text book the head angle works with this pose. A crop makes it even more effective.

Thank you Artie. It was a setup in the sense that I placed the branch near my feeders and water bubbler, to give the birds something besides the metal feeder pole to perch on; the bg is an evergreen bush. I wasn't sure whether to include the branchlets at the top of the perch, but I agree that the image is cleaner without them, per your crop.

[Arthur Morris]

Thanks for the info Bill. Advice: spend some quality time looking for really beautiful and interesting perches :)

[David Gancarz]

Bill: I agree a higher SS would help. Some of the fine detail, especially around the face, seems to be lost to softness. I wonder if a reflector in your setup might allow you get more light on the subject without resorting to flash. The lighting on the posted image is very nice -- there's just not enough of it, evidently. The only other nit I might offer is that a raised crest would be nice.

Our TT seem to have more buff (the color) on their bellies. Perhaps that's a regional difference, or maybe this is a young individual?

[Dave Walz]

I like the feather detail in this picture. This is a nervious little bird that can be a challenge to photograph. i have no problem with the BG or the perch.

[Bill Dix]

Bill: I agree a higher SS would help. Some of the fine detail, especially around the face, seems to be lost to softness. I wonder if a reflector in your setup might allow you get more light on the subject without resorting to flash. The lighting on the posted image is very nice -- there's just not enough of it, evidently. The only other nit I might offer is that a raised crest would be nice.

Our TT seem to have more buff (the color) on their bellies. Perhaps that's a regional difference, or maybe this is a young individual?

Thank you David. I agree on all counts: the head is a bit soft; maybe SS, and maybe focus point or DOF (I've found that close in, with the ext. tube, an aperture smaller than f/7.1 works better although it might not have produced as good a bg). I have used a reflector with some success in some previous shots like this one, and probably should have tried it here. Most of my Titmouse shots do show more buff color on the flanks; and a raised crest would have helped. This is an adult since he has the black forehead, so I assume the minimal flank color is due to individual variation. I'll look more carefully at my feeder birds and see if I can tell them apart in this way.