Vermillion Flycatcher

[Dona Hilkey]

This Vermillion Flycatcher, rare for western Colorado, was a wonderful bright spot on a dreary rainy spring day. This is my first post in BPN forums, I hope I did it right.

Canon 40D, 500 f4 IS plus 1.4X, 700 focal length
Aperature priority, f7, ISO 500 monopod
Shot in RAW edited in PS 3, cropped, minor levels and curves

Thank you,
Dona Hilkey
Meeker, Colorado
www.pbase.com/dhilkey (http://www.pbase.com/dhilkey)

[Maxis Gamez]

Hi Dona,

I like the pose. However the noise is extremely distracting. The light looks harsh. I also think that your signature should not touch your subject because it creates a distraction.

Thank you.

[Arthur Morris]

Hi Dona and welcome. Quite a good bird for w. CO. The best thing about this image is the head angle which is perfect for the pose. Setting looks like a porch with a house BKGR, both less than ideal. The reds on the head could be de-SATed a bit. The railing looks overexposed and detail-less, and the face could be selectively sharpened a bit.

later and love, artie

[Stephen Stephen]

Welcome Dona. Good pose on this Vermillion. Maxis and Artie have critiqued this fully.

[Dona Hilkey]

Thank you, Max and Artie. The image is a large crop, maybe too large, and I did not use any noise reduction which I should have. I didn't think the light was that harsh at the time it might be my poor post processing that makes it look that way. I will try Arties suggestion of de-saturating the reds on the head. The setting is actually in a state park and the bird is perched on an old sunbleached pole fence, the background is only trees.
I appreciate your time and thank you for critiques and suggestions. I am anxious to learn.
Dona Hilkey
Meeker, Colorado

[Judy Lynn Malloch]

Agree with all of the above. Beautiful bird and one of my favorites. Tried to capture one in the Pantanal, Brazil last summer but not nearly as pretty as this. Thanks for sharing Donna.

[Soren Breiting]

Hi Dona,
Despite the previous critique which I agree upon I think you have made a picture that for many will be a good advocate for birding and bird photography. As an European I have enjoyed a few meetings with Vermillion Flycatcher in Arizona. Especially I have still some wonderful memories of a male Vermillion’s territorial flight near the border to Mexico from many years ago. This reminds me (and us) about how subjective we all will be when we evaluate another’s picture. E.g. do we have the experience that it is a difficult bird to approach, or a very common bird, are we are especially positive against the bird species based on previous experience etc.

The biggest problem of your picture I think is the high level of noise, and as always most visible in a rather plain background.

I have played a little with ‘seeing’ the picture without the darker area at the right hand corner below. This small change in PS would change the whole picture quite a lot. But I am not sure if it will be an improvement.

Thanks for reminding me of this beautiful species

Soren

[Dona Hilkey]

Thank you, Soren. I appreciate your comments. I made several images of this bird and after I posted this one I realized some of the problems with it. For one thing it should have not have been posted in this forum as it is obviously has "the hand of man" element, the pole fence, in it. In a few days I will post a different image of the same bird in the Avian forum that allows human elements and I will, hopefully, be able to use the suggestions and critiques I recieved and post a better image.
Thanks again, you are very kind,
Dona

[Dona Hilkey]

Thank you for the comments, Judy. It is not an easy bird to approach. It is tiny and quick.
Dona