After five long days of grey skies, the beautiful sun came out strong!!! I shot this one with the 7D 300+ 2X TC, ISO 320, f/6.3 1/800. I think I need to look for bigger birds. Someone here told me I don't need a bigger lens yet
SUN
After five long days of grey skies, the beautiful sun came out strong!!! I shot this one with the 7D 300+ 2X TC, ISO 320, f/6.3 1/800. I think I need to look for bigger birds. Someone here told me I don't need a bigger lens yet
Last edited by Don Jacobs; 01-19-2013 at 08:48 PM.
Don,
Thanks for posting, like you I love birds!!!!
Two things come to mind here. First, the subject is in the middle of the frame - composition whether it is birds or what ever controls the frame - consider the subject placement and rule of thirds. There is an Tutorial and Education Forum that address this too and offers assistance. My second point is distracting elements in the frame. As the photographer you decide what in included and excluded from the four corners of the picture and the branch coming in from the right side is distracting and could be easily removed (what s/w do you use in post processing)?
The bird has a good head angle and a regal pose - nice image - thanks for sharing.
ps -play with the composition use a piece of paper on the screen (move it around) and find the position that best shows the beauty of the bird.
Last edited by Jeff Cashdollar; 01-20-2013 at 05:28 PM.
Hi Don- I can tell that this is a quality image based on the light, pose, head angle, sharpness (albeit hard to assess in this image), and the nice light.
The main issue is that need to get close to your subject. 600mm should be enough even for small fry like a junco so you have to work on your field craft to get closer.
From the original image I think it will be possible to crop for a pleasing composition. This is what I am thinking.
Forgot to mention, sun is not your friend- nice soft light from overcast conditions is. It is my experience that the same subject in soft light looks miles better than in sun light. In the case of the junco, it looks like you had nice morning or evening light, which can be harsh, but often works very well as the sun angle is low and as a result, the subject is well-lit.
Last edited by John Chardine; 01-20-2013 at 08:48 PM.
Don, good comments and suggestions above - you have a nice capture of a small bird. Little ones like the junco are hard to get close to, but that is one of the challenges of bird photography! Jeff makes a good point about deciding what goes in the frame. It is important for us to look at the entire image, as the camera does, not just the subject of interest. Good exposure, color, and detail as well as a great pose. Nice capture!
"It is an illusion that photos are made with the camera... they are made with the eye, heart, and head." - Henri Cartier Bresson
Please visit me on the web at http://kerryperkinsphotography.com
This is a very nice capture Don. The light is lovely as is the angle and your bird. John did a very fine job improving on your image. Good advice given above. Now your image is singing.
I agree that looking into the educational forum would be very beneficial. I still go back there often on myself.
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