Another Blue Jay

[Jim Crosswell]

This was taken at my backyard set up. Added some canvas up top and right side of the frame. This was taken on an overcast day. All C&Cs are welcome and appreciated.

Canon 1D MK IV
500L f4
1.4 Extender
ISO 2000
f7.1
1/400s
Tripod

[keith mitchell]

Hello Jim, wish I had these in my back yard ,I like the pose and the colour of the bird I think I can see a bit of noise in the bg but if I am wrong please put it down to these dodgy old eyes of mine anyway I would be very pleased with it.

Keith.

[Karl Egressy]

Nice picture Jim it has the right amount of head turn. If it were mine I would go a little darker of the mid tones of the bird only but it is up to personal taste.
All in all it is a very nice image.

[gail bisson]

Looks good. Great perch and head turn.
A bit of mosaicism in the BG. I wish I could tell you how to fix this but I struggle with this problem and always on green BG.
gail

[Henry Domke]

How did you get so close to this bird? The Blue Jays around here always see me and fly away. I'm too impatient for blinds, but I do wear camp clothing. Since they love peanuts I've put them out but despite that they find a way to eat them when I'm not around.

Any advice to help me get a nice tight shot of a Blue Jay like this?

[Alan Murphy]

Nice colors and pose. A bit big in the frame for me.

[John Robinson]

Looks ok to me - if anthing slightly big in frame as mentioned.
Cheers
JR

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Jim, lovely colours again, with good feather detail. I like how the tail follows the line of the perch.

[Jim Crosswell]

How did you get so close to this bird? The Blue Jays around here always see me and fly away. I'm too impatient for blinds, but I do wear camp clothing. Since they love peanuts I've put them out but despite that they find a way to eat them when I'm not around.

Any advice to help me get a nice tight shot of a Blue Jay like this?

I use a blind to get these images. I find the early morning the best time and they are more tolerant of your presence. I can stand out in the open at this time and they will land on the perch but find the time they stay on the perch is longer and more relaxed if I'm in the blind. I use two peanuts in the shell to get them started with sunflower seeds under them. The Jays hit and run with the peanuts but once they are gone they will eat the seeds. While they are loading the seeds in their throat I get the images.
I hope this helps you out Henry.

Thanks everyone for your comments and suggestions.

[Shawn Zierman]

I think photographing a blue jay against a well controlled green background always works...no exception here. I like the curve to the perch. I don't care for where the bark has come off and the wood is showing brighter under the tail. Would like to see what you could have done here with taking the 1.4 off, getting quite a bit more dof that way on the subject, particularly to cover the tail when the bird's body posture is not parallel to the sensor...then crop to the comp you wish. The quality will still easily be there with your high end gear and excellent photography skills....