Theme-Small in frame

Song of a Spring Morning- This little fella was singing his heart out one morning on the headwaters of New Market Lake.

Simple layer exercise-I've had this Sparrow on a stick image for sometime (50% crop from the original). For this I had wanted to make it appear as though the Sparrow and the pruned perch were pasted onto a composite textured backdrop. I experimented with different layer modes to bring out textured detail in the trees and foreground grasses while trying to keep the feeling of a misty morning from the original scene. The Sparrow is actually perched on an opposing creek bank, a distance of about 20 yards from the camera.

I like the colors in this very much. Or maybe it's the lack of a lot of colors. And I think you did a great job with the background. If there's more room, above, in the original shot, I think it'd be good to include a little bit more of it above the sparrow.

very well done in the feeling you are trying to impose. I would try to darken the background behind the birds head a little bit just so his beak and the fact he is singing is a bit more pronounced against the BG. The rest I quite like.

Randall, I absolutely love the background. Great image - all alone in the vastness and singing his heart out:S3:

Very nice! You achieved a wonderful, subtle look for the BG and the bird is nicely balanced by the larger tree on the left. For some reason I want to find a subtle repeat of the golden color of the lower vegetation in the upper BG somewhere -- maybe toward the left.

Good point about the beak -- at this size the upper one looks a little lost or too small.

This is a beauty, very fitting for the theme, I would agree a bit with Dennis about the placement of the sparrow but a very fine image

Perfect for small-in-the-frame! The little size of the sparrow on the branch makes the bird seem even smaller. I like the textures and colors. Nice work.

Randall,

Greetings. The subtle color and texture work really well. I like how the detail of the perch and subject set it off from the bg in 3D. Comp works for me. Thanks for posting.

Cheers,

-Michael-

Thanks to everyone for the responses and thoughts, they're very much appreciated. I am glad the image conveys the mood and emotions felt at the time it was taken. While not nearly as involved or complex as the work posted by others, for me, this is a bit of a break through as I do

struggle with composites and artistic renditions. The beak does blend in on the top a bit too much. Adjusting didn't help much on this small web size file, I have to find the original (which will also allow me to play with the composition) and work it up from there. I will post the

adjustments once I've located it.

I think this is delightful. Love it!

Love the background and the singing bird. Perfect theme image!

Congratulations on first place.