Sparrow Lark

[vishaljadhav]

This is a male of a Ashy Crowned sparrow lark, made this image today morning from a car,
The scrub land always looks brown and grey and only in some months of the rains it turns green and with small flowers around, thats what i thought i would capture.

5D MIII + 400 f2.8 + 2x TC
ISO 1000, F8 , 1/1000


The image was made handheld, with me driving and the bird on the other side with my friend shooting from that window, thats why tried the ISO1000 to boost up the shutter speed, otherwise getting sharp images with the weight of 400 handheld becomes difficult for me.
cropped it more pano, let me know if this work
Critiques and suggestions welcome
vishal

[Diane Miller]

Beautifully sharp, especially given the circumstances, and a beautiful setting. But for me the rock garden competes with the bird a little too much, and places the bird in half the frame with not enough "weight" to balance it in the other half. What would you think about an alternate crop from the left, just inside the OOF pink blossom? Then some could come off the top to move the bird up in the frame a little.

Even without coming in from the left, I think a little could come off the top.

[David Salem]

I like this one allot. Great exposure and feather detail in this. Nice profile pose with a good HA and a bit of the raised crest adds to the image. Cool BG color and the little color from the flowers adds to the scene. Nice choice on the pano comp. Well done

[Robert Kimbrell]

Nice and sharp, I like the hint or red running through the background, as well as the soft grasses. Good job hand held from the far side a car.

[Loi Nguyen]

Lovely flowers, sharp bird in good light. I'm with Diane regarding the OOF rock. I'd suggest cropping a thin sliver of the bottom and some of the left. Loi

[PhilCook]

I can see why you did a wide aspect crop, the colored grasses on the left of the bird are a nice addition, nice isolation from backdrop and stunning detail especially from a car window is commendable....well done. ! I would consider cropping just a little more from the bottom to just above the oof rock... there is something a little odd on the rock in the centre......see repost

[Girish Prahalad]

the comp works very well. the details & BG are excellent.
I do think there is a bit of yellow cast on the bird. you could try desaturating the yellows.

[vishaljadhav]

I can see why you did a wide aspect crop, the colored grasses on the left of the bird are a nice addition, nice isolation from backdrop and stunning detail especially from a car window is commendable....well done. ! I would consider cropping just a little more from the bottom to just above the oof rock... there is something a little odd on the rock in the centre......see repost

Phil,
I looked at the original and there was some whitewash on it from the larks previous visit i guess , tried cloning it but guess used a wrong sample for cloning from the right has side rock which is in focus making it odd to the eye
tried the crop suggested


Let me know if this one looks any better, got some off the bottom and to balance it a bit had to get some off the left otherwise it was looking too long to the eye

[Daniel Cadieux]

Funny thing for me is that I like the OP's composition as is, although I understand the previous commentors' point-of-view about it. I'm really digging the vegetation at left. Bird looks great but wondering if there is a hint of green cast on it. For me the OOF seed heads directly in front of the bill compete with the subject and as such I would consider making them less bold. Good image overall.

[Amol Khedgikar]

I like this a lot Vishal.

I like the way the young pink vegetation is in focus and adds color to this image. The Bird is nice and sharp. But I know this is an 'Ashy' Crowned and not 'black' crowned but I think it could use come more contrast in the dark feathers. It will really take the image over the top IMO.

I would also clone out the beautiful but distracting vertical grass blade and the flower plume behind the bird. Leave the OOF pink flower.

I like the original crop better But Phil caught the "rock" very well..... so may be a reclone?

[Frank Schauf]

Great comp and bg, nice work.

[PhilCook]

I think the re post with bottom crop is nicer....but then my thoughts are a little biased hehehe

[Richard Unsworth]

Sweet image, love the environmental comp, bird details very fine indeed
not seen species before