Printable View
Camera Model: Canon EOS 30D
Shutter speed: 1/60 sec
Aperture: 11
Exposure mode: Manual
Flash: Off
Metering mode: Spot
Drive mode: Single frame shooting
ISO: 400
Lens: EF500mm f/4L IS USM +1.4x
Focal length: 700mm
AF mode: Manual Focus
Much to my neighbors dismay, I refused to chop down a dying tree in my yard because I very much want the opportunity to photograph RBW. Unfortunately, mostly starlings moved in. I don't know how RBWs can even survive with starlings around.
I like the position of the bird in the photograph. Although the photo looks a bit soft (my monitor?) there is good detail in the eye and feathers. I really like the wood chips on the birds head.
Is it possible to shoot a bit faster? The softness might be due to the slow speed.
Also the burn in the background around the bill and in the upper left is a bit distracting. Not sure if you tried to lighten the area or not.
Again, I like that you caught the bird's head in the tree. Amazingly small area for the bird.
Nice catch with the bird's head coming through the hole. I think some selective sharpening on the head would help as it appears a tad bit soft. The white halo around the bill is distracting to me.
Thanks very much for the comments. It really helps me to know how others see things. This image is a significant crop. That probably accounts for the "softness" more than my shutter speed. (or maybe not, is the tree bark sharper than the bird? ) I did a HUGE amount of background cleanup. There were leaves and sticks behind the bird. And as luck (bad) would have it, the birds beak coincided with a break in the bg leaf clutter to show open sky behind it.
I did a gausian blur on the back ground, but my photo shop skills are not good enough to "close in" the sky behind the beak with green. I was only able to blur the hard edges from the back ground leaves, but without bringing in the green all the way to the bird. I wonder if there is a way to do that?
Hey Art, I like your profession, I just recently got awarded a patent for a piece of night photography equipment.
