shock ,horror back garden siskin.

[Graham Berry]

I hope I am not breaking any rules by showing a shot of a siskin taken today in my back garden ,and on the top of a feeder no less .
The truth is ,I have been keen on photographing birds for some time but will never be able to afford all the top gear ,and even if I could ,my health would not allow long stints out in the field .
after saving up for some time ,and trading in my previous birding lens ,I finally got a decent lens combo ,A new Nikon 300 f4 AF-S and TC 14e arrived a few days ago ,and with my wife ill with a chest infection I felt it was not the time to go off into the widerness ,however I was very excited at my new gear and managed to get a couple of siskin and goldfinch shots at the bottom of my garden , hand held ,I think I did well to maintain a sharp image ,and my excitement compels me to share at least one image ,so here goes .
http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff445/buzz-boy29/garden%20birds/DSC_0867.jpg

[Randy Stout]

Graham:

Congrats on the new gear, a very capable lens, esp. with a crop body for the extra 'reach'

Also works very well for butterflies, dragonflies and the like, esp. with a tube on it.

Sharp, well exposed. For my taste, a bit big in the frame, and I wish the lighting was more even on the face. Nice catchlight. Neutral background.

Please be sure to include camera and lens setting details, it really helps us critique the image.

Look forward to more!

Cheers

Randy

[Daniel Cadieux]

No broken rules here, Graham...any wild bird is welcome! I agree with Randy's critique, and would add to be creful with frame edges clipping parts of the subject (see foot at left), and also eliminate the thin vertical line in the eye. Image is sharp indeed, and with such cooperayive subjects coming close I too would be excited!