Fluffy cedar on cedar

Another from a recent trip to Maine. The cedars would perch here briefly, preen and fluff, then launch after the next insect. Not sure if you will object to the cedar branch on the body...it doesn't bother me in the least as the birds seemed to lean into it when they fluffed. (Feel free to differ) The bg is the sky reflected into a pond.

Thanks for looking and for your comments.

1/800, f10, iso400
1Dmk2n, 500 + 1.4tc + tripod

HI Grace,

Besides the harsh light, this is very nice with a nice head turn and colors. I don't have a problem with the leaf mentioned. Is that a natural catchlight?

Thanks for sharing!

Agree with MAxis' points, I would also crop some off of the bottom.

You can see feather shafts on top of the wing.

Robert

Thanks, RObert and Maxis. That is a natural catchlight, which I think I'll tone down. Like the crop suggestion alot, cleans up the perch. Robert, your comment about the feather shafts, is that a negative ? Can anything be done in PS to improve harsh light, generally speaking?

Hi Grace,
Agree with above suggestions. You may want a linear burn layer at about 25% opacity or a multiplied layer at around 50% to remove some of the harshness. Let me know if you need the how to.