Dove

[Ian Cassell]

Canon 7D
Canon 500/4 + 1.4x
1/1250sec f/8 ISO 400

CS6
Viveza 2

[John Goldman]

Good colors, focus, pose.
For me, too much cactus in the composition.
Appears to have image sensor dust in front of the birds chest.

[Ian Cassell]

Thanks, John. Yes I agree -- too much cactus. ... hangs my head - how did I miss that dust spot? jeesh

[Jeff Cashdollar]

Ian,

Original and unique image and challenging to crop. Good advise above with the dust spot and cactus does dominate the frame. Was this HH,..nice but could be sharper?

[Kerry Perkins]

Hi Ian, you are getting some really nice results with the 500 on the 7D! Don't beat yourself up for missing obvious things, just think about them a little harder next time... John nailed the critique for me, would just add that I really like the pose of the dove - sort of a mid-preening catch. Speaking of sharpness, do you ever wonder how birds land on cactus like this without having some pointy problems? Well, I do... Birds do some amazing things, for sure.