Gambel's Quail

[thomasryan]

I made a number of exposures of this bird, but I couldn't get the head angle I wanted.
So...here's a profile shot. Thanks for looking...tom

40D 1/400@f7.1 ISO 100 500mmf4 L Tripod Mounted

[Gus Cobos]

Hi Thomas,
Nice capture and exposure; the details on your bird are good, however he is too centered for my taste...I would also add some canvas to the right of the frame to give more breathing space for the tail...:cool:

[Robert Amoruso]

Thomas,

Head angle looks good here.

Poses like this are hard to compose w/o the bird's head/body being in the center of the image. Adding room behind would be nice but I am OK with it as is - though adding room and leaving the front as is only pushes him more to center. Cropping from the front may be an option, but I would not add room to the left.

Actually, what I would have liked was not having the perch touching the bottom of the frame.

[Axel Hildebrandt]

Great pose, details and BG. I'm not sure about the crop. Maybe less square and more room if you have.

[Jim Poor]

Nice pose to catch him mid call like that along with a nice smooth BG.

[Alfred Forns]

I like it as presented Tom !!!! You did get a good head angle and like the calling pose very much !!! Great looking bg Cropping wise an alternative would be to do away with the little green at the bottom middle? I like it a lot !!!

[Doug Brown]

Excellent work Thomas! Sharp bird, excellent exposure and smooth BG that both compliments the bird and conveys a sense of what's behind it. I don't mind the crop at all.

[JM Giroux]

Wow ! Great shot Thomas.

[Arthur Morris]

Good discussion above. A bit more of a head turn would have been ideal.

Gus, you are contradicting yourself: adding more on the right puts the bird more in the center...

Jim, Welcome. Please let us know why you like the image, and please see the top-mmost sticky at the top of this page. Thanks!

[Blake Shadle]

I'll add my two cents to the crop debate :) I'd leave everything the way it is, except take some off the left side of the frame (ending the frame just to the right of the Y in the branch). Making that adjustment would give your subject more impact in the frame, IMO. Very nice background, pose, and exposure.

[Raul Quinones]

Great picture, nice pose and beautiful background.
I am sure if I have attempted taking the picture I have blown the whites, but again I don't see exposure compensation on your settings.