Tiger Shrike with Praying Mantis

http://i638.photobucket.com/albums/u...g?t=1288725414

during our short stopover in Singapore I could make a nice shot of this Tiger Shrike with prey.

shot with the canon 7D with canon 500mm F4 L IS en canon 1.4x extender out of hand leaning on a branch
iso 640, F6.3, 1/80

Lesley:

Pretty darn good sharpness with this rig and no tripod, even leaning on something.
Nicely exposed, good angle in frame, prey a plus. Good shooting angle too.

I might consider toning down the brighter reflections on the perch, and if you have some more clean canvas around the bird, add back in a bit top and left side perhaps.

Cheers

Randy

Hi Randy,

thanks for your comment and tips, I was pleased to see that it was sharp too :D

I already darkened the branch a bit with shadow highlight, but it still is a bit distracting.
I see I could have left a bit more room around the bird, thanks.

kind regards
Lesley

Good job on getting sharp image at 1/80 and handheld, good pose given by the Shrike, love the gripping claw on the mantis very much. The mantis itself is a big plus. Wish I could see the mantis more clearly, but this is already great as it is.