Paintball Sports....shoulda picked the blue team

[PhilCook]

Shots this morning.....no, not with a blue paintball gun despite how it may look with the dabs of blue here and there.

Just a little immature, or eclipsing male Superb Fairy-wren, he was in the company of a few drab female and 2 fully colored males. The males in full color are always nice, but I rather like the young males as well with their little blue spots here and there.

Wasn't my intention of shooting these little birds, so I didn't go prepared with tripod or anything, just sat under a bush and fired away hand holding.
I
Canon 7D + 500 f4 + 1.4 x TC.....700mm, f6.3, 1/600, ISO 500, no flash, hand held.........cropped, selective sharpen and noise reduction, added a small bit of canvas to the left.

[Charlie Schwencke]

Great shot Phil, I really like it when they are just starting to colour up..

Great image and brilliant detail.

[gail bisson]

Hi Phil.
Cute title. Could also be a type of chicken pox?!
I really like the long gangly legs and the the IQ and the BG.
Good PP work
Gail

[Bill Dix]

Looks like paintball to me. Great job handholding that rig at that SS, and still keeping it sharp. Lovely little bird. I can see a repeat in the branch to the left, but wouldn't have noticed had you not mentioned the added canvas.

[Richard Unsworth]

Nice job handholding at that SS.
Very nice color blue, nice complImentary BG

[Frank Schauf]

Excellent details, love the perch, great pose and very nice background.

[Karl Egressy]

Nice little cutie, Phil. f7.1 or even f8.0 would have worked better for DOF for the right leg and tail. Otherwise excellent IQ and details.

[jack williamson]

Tons of detail on this little fellow, the bg is complimentary and I like the little specks of blue.

[PhilCook]

Nice little cutie, Phil. f7.1 or even f8.0 would have worked better for DOF for the right leg and tail. Otherwise excellent IQ and details.

cheers Karl, true enough, but not much time to adjust settings with these edgy little birds, these are wild birds and not baited or enticed in any way so they are never still for long. Getting enough shutter speeds meant keeping aperture as wide open as I dared

[Robert Holguin]

Terrific shot Phil.
Excellent pose, really like the perch, wonderful background, and great comp.
When I first saw it I actually thought it had got paint on it. :)
Well done.

[Jonathan Ashton]

Lovely shot Phil the bird is super in terms of pose detail and exposure etc.
I note you added canvas, I suspect you stretched the perch (??). In situations like this I try to remember that if I cut and paste or clone (big as practicable and soft) a piece of perch for the extension it does not result in a stretched appearance

[Sidharth Kodikal]

Nothing not to love about this image, Phil. Sweet bird, clever title, nice light, bg and slanted perch.