Singing Song Sparrow among the Dame's Rocket

[Jack Breakfast]

Greetings folks,
I had a fine time with a few song sparrows on a scenic hill the other night. This picture was taken with the Canon 7D and 200mm f2.8L + 1.4: a focal length of 280mm. iso400, 1/2000, f4. This is the full-frame capture. As always, I'll be glad to hear your ideas and suggestions. Many thanks in advance for your visual perusal...
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[Stu Bowie]

Hi Jack, good singing pose, and the little guy is nice and sharp. I really like the colours in the image, and wonder if you could have maybe shot from a slightly higher angle, as Im finding the OOF flower in the FG just below the belly a touch distracting. Cropping from the left and top wont harm the image either. :w3

[Jack Breakfast]

Stuart, hello. I took many pictures from all sorts of angles but in all cases that o.o.f. dame's rocket was under my friend's belly. Darts and dragons! While shooting the bird I was hoping the wind would blow those o.o.f flowers out of the way, but I was luckless. The wind was blowing nicely on the hill and moving the flowers around and indeed I do have shots from higher angles, lower angles, all sorts of things, but this particular pic has the colors that appeal to me the most. I especially enjoy the blues in the upper left. One of the many joys of nature photography is that mild frustration which mingles so sweetly with love-of-nature and an opportunity's excitement...these are the sorts of things that are hard to find in the rest of life, when one is running errands or driving in a car or chopping vegetables. It's the rare and blessed mixture that makes nature photography so popular among a cross-section of humans...

[Satish Ranadive]

Sweet image of cute bird. Lovely colors. Nice pose. Agree with Stuart Bowie about crop.

[PhilCook]

I do like the pastel color tones, a slight shame about the oof flowers, cropped a little more may draw more attention to the bird, but as you say the powder blue colors would be a shame to lose.....nicely done overall

[Jack Breakfast]

Thanks, folks...the flowers in question are only a minor detraction to my eye but if I were a magical man I'd have obliterated them in the first place...perhaps I'll post something else from the same day that doesn't have those flowers in the mix...or perhaps it's better only to move on with my life. The sun is shining at last!
ALSO: Phil, your profile picture or avatar picture (I don't know the proper name for this thing) is fun and silly! I like it so much!

[Grace Scalzo]

Jack, it's a fun and whimsical image. What about playing with some alternative treatments? I could see you selecting everything but the bird and blurring it....but I'm sure your imagination could come up with something better.

[Jack Breakfast]

Thank you for your sweet comments, Grace, and I like your idea very much...I'll certainly play around with this picture...

[adrian dancy]

The bird is in an ocean of colour and the canvas places the bird in the context of its wider environment and that I like. I would not change a thing.

[Jack Breakfast]

Adrian, let us be compatriots! Wait, that would be impossible! Still: many thanks for the fine words. I shall listen to you!

[adrian dancy]

Don't listen to me ...listen to your inner self, but keep an eye on others so you don't crazy, and then you will find your own style.