Moderate to heavy rains kept me pinned close to home most of the day, but I couldn't resist getting out a bit in between showers to take advantage of the nice diffused light. Came across this nice Female Cardinal out by my feeders (I live backed up to a preserve, so my feeder setup is actually back in a small clearing).
My own self critique is that I think f/5 would've been spot-on for DOF, and the interaction between her tail and the branch bothers me a bit. I'd rather see a bit of seperation between the two. I really like these 3/4 angle "over-the-shoulder" poses on Cardinals, Jays, and Buntings. I know most go for the front view, but these poses are my preference (but the head hangle still has to be right, of course!).
Canon 1DsMII, 600mm f/4L, f/4, 1/640, ISO 200, 0 EV, Overcast skies in early afternoon between rain showers, off tripod. Location was the preserve behind my house.
Who wouldn't like this shot! Bg, cloudy day light (my favorite) compostiion, eye contact, sharpness... all A++ Congrats!
07-13-2008, 10:00 PM
Doug Brown
I like this type of pose for cardinals also. Great color, sharpness, and BG. The perch gets a little heavy at the bottom, and I would remove the part that sticks out to the right. Still, a very nice image!
07-13-2008, 10:41 PM
DanWalters
Great shot! Love the details in the bird and the soft background.
07-13-2008, 10:49 PM
Maxis Gamez
Hi Bob,
Very nice pose and details on this one. I would pick a perch with less sticks on top, to prevent one showing behind your subject :)
Noise looks good and so is sharpening! :)
Take care!
07-14-2008, 08:27 AM
Axel Hildebrandt
Great pose, soft light and BG, the perch is not ideal. You could have gone to ISO 400 and stop down more for wider DOF.
07-14-2008, 01:29 PM
Judy Lynn Malloch
Really like this image Bob. The details and color are excellent and I personnaly like the perch as it shows it like it is. Great BG too to show off this lovely capture. Many thanks for sharing and congrats.