Common Redpoll

[gail bisson]

Canon 1D MKIV
F 4.0 600 II and 1.4X III
ISO 800
SS 1/1600
f 6.3
Small crop for composition.
Went out yesterday to shoot mergansers but there were none to be found. I wandered around the beach and saw nothing but 2 dogs running around so I thought "great, if there are any birds around these 2 dogs will scare everything away" and was about to give up. Then, one of the dogs ran through a field and flushed a flock of about 30 common redpolls and I was all set for the morning!
The BG is beach grass.
Comments and critiques always learned from and appreciated with thanks,
Gail

[Greg Oakley]

Great image, Gail - super detail and really cool perch!
Cheers Greg

[christopher galeski]

nice image,like the BG,perch and pose,good detail.thanks.

[Karl Egressy]

Sometimes dogs help your photography, but most of the times they ruin it.
Beautiful background, nice head turn and eye contact. Excellent image quality.
I vertical would have worked well too. Great work, Gail.

[Randy Stout]

Gail:

I love dogs, but not my favorite photographer accessory!

Lovely colors, interesting perch, nice angle of bird in frame. I think because of the pose, that the crop works well.

Cheers

Randy

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Gail, incredible IQ, and was wondering when you were going to post an image with your new toy. Just love the light, soft colours, and tack sharp. The perch has character, and that BG is a killer.

I truly hope you come away with more amazing images as this one.

[Shawn Zierman]

Great tail spread giving some fullness to the back part of the bird.
Super image for all the reasons mentioned already!

[Mike Landwehr]

Gail, I love the composition on this shot. The subject is so well positioned. The BG is beautiful, and complements the colors of the subject and the perch. The perch is interesting, and the red spot adds life to the image.

[Sidharth Kodikal]

Very nice image Gail. I like the comp, the pose and the sweet bg. Details are nice. Congrats on the new toy!

[John Cooper]

Lovely clean image Gail with excellent IQ. I really like the pose of the Redpoll on that interesting perch, and depicted so well against that super BG. A great reward for your efforts that day..!!

[Jim Crosswell]

I like the pose, sharpness, details, perch and BG. Excellent image Gail! How do you like the 600 compared to the 500?

[gail bisson]

I like the pose, sharpness, details, perch and BG. Excellent image Gail! How do you like the 600 compared to the 500?

I miss my children and my house as I had to sell them!!
I have only been out with the lens twice due to work and lousy weather in Cape Breton but I have to say that I actually find it lighter than my old 500. The specs say it weighs 3 oz. more than the old 500 mm but the weight is distributed differently so it feels lighter.
I had hubby and 2 friends hold both lenses and all three said the 600mm was lighter!
It is wonderful to use alone but I am finding it tricky with the converter but that is just a practice issue.
My 500mm sold in less than an hour so the cost was a little less hard on the wallet!
Gail

[Marina Scarr]

Congrats on your new toy, Gail! Lovely image all around.

[Cheryl Arena Molennor]

Not so common here as Ive never seen one. Nice pose and perch and bg. More dof on the birds tail would have been great too but this works for me as well. 600II ?congrats!

[arash_hazeghi]

great pose, details, perch and BG

[David Salem]

Wow Gail this is beautiful. The detail is awesome and the BG is wonderful. The bird pops against the BG so well it looks like a 3D effect. Very nice and think its one of your best portraits. Congrats on the new lens. Look forward to more.

[Satish Ranadive]

Gail:
Wonderful image with great IQ.Very very sweet.Every thing in the frame is superb.Love it.

Regards,
Satish.