Grackle

[Tim Rucci]

This grackle image was captured at Greek Cay wetlands in the soft early morning lght.

Details: Canon 40d, Canon 300mm f2.8 IS lens with Canon 2x extender (tripod mounted), Aperture priority, 1/400 sec at f5.6, partial metering, exposure comp at zero.

[Harold Davis]

a grackle with attitude!! nice catch. i think it could go a tad lighter. nice detail, tim.

[Alfred Forns]

I love this image Tim !!! I'm very fond of grackles and this is a winner !!!

Great crop and pose The image does give a sense of their attitude !!! Excellent light to bring out their colors Not sure if I would go lighter on this one? Wold suggest a slight boost in contrast !!! Big Congrats !!!

[Arthur Morris]

Lovely COMP and design. Love the two sharp eyes. Sharpening the pupils and lightening the irises with QMs would make it even more powerful. There looks to be a blue/magenta cast; it might look a bit more natural blacker but then it looks pretty sweet right now.

[Maxis Gamez]

Hey Tim,

Lovely pose and very sharp. Another vote for the blue cast. You also did well with the details and clean BG.

Keep up the good work!

[Doug Brown]

I think this is an outstanding image Tim! Love the iridescence, the sharpness, and the way the bird fills the frame. I agree about the color cast and also the brightness. Here's a repost that also tries to liven up the eyes a bit, kind of like what Artie is describing. What do you think?

[DanWalters]

Great image! Love the details in the bird and the eys.

[Phil Seu]

feather details are really cool.

phil seu

[Tim Rucci]

Thanks to everyone for the compliments, and thanks Doug, for taking the time and effort to adjust and repost the image. I like the idea of bringing out the contrast in the eyes a little more, but the change in the contrast seems just a little bit strong to me.

I went back and reworked the image bringing out the contrast in the eyes a little more than the original without affecting the rest of the bird, and I've also desaturated it slightly although I almost hated to do it. These changes are admittedly subtle, but to me they seem more natural.