I realize the angle is steep, and there are oof branches in the background, but I hope people find this to be a pleasing image anyway. Photographed recently in a local roadside tree.
Camera Model: NIKON D300
Lens: 300.0 mm f/4.0 + 1.7TC
Focus Distance: 8.91m
Aperture: f/6.7
Exposure Time: 0.0013 s (1/800)
ISO equiv: 800
Exposure Bias: +1.00 EV
Metering Mode: Matrix
Exposure: aperture priority (semi-auto)
White Balance: Auto
Richard
05-25-2010, 09:38 PM
Hank Christensen
Nice pose and head angle. Great exposure and detail on the bird. The branch in the upper left corner should be easy to remove. Also, it looks like there are patches of background noise. Did you selective NR the background with a brush in photoshop? If so, try applying the NR a little closer to the bird. You can do a feathered selection on the bird and the lower branch and then NR the background. While you're at it, apply a bit of Gaussian blur on the branch behind the head (if you don't want to remove it entirely). I like the OOF branches in the far background - I think it adds depth to the shot.
05-26-2010, 10:35 AM
Axel Hildebrandt
I like the soft light, sharpness and eye contact and wish for a less steep angle. If it were mine, I might remove the diagonal branch right behind the bird.