One of my favorites so far this year. I was very lucky to get three frames when this cock pheasant launched himself on to his mate without warning. The last frame of the series which shows the cock bird with a mouthful of feathers after her had pinned his mate to the floor. I didn't have time to reposition as it was over so very quickly and I had been taking photos of the hen bird with the focus point positioned on the left of the frame. This is full frame image so there is no room for repositioning, but I would have liked more canvas to work with on the left hand side. I have cloned a small area in from of the birds where there was a distracting stick. Comments and potential improvements welcome.
Canon 7D, Canon 500mm F4, F8, 1/320, resting on a beanbag from the car.
Nice work Jamie, great moment you have captured here. Looks just a bit over-saturated for my taste but otherwise technically spot on. It is such a good image, I think it would be worth the effort to do a small canvas extension on the left and an equal amount off the RHS. Cheers, Ian
Wow that's a great shot and good detail in the plumage in both dark and light areas. It is very sharp and at a relatively slow shutter speed. I would suggest the colours are a little saturated also.
Very impression action/behavior you captured here. The male's mouthful of feathers is a huge plus here, and tells such a great story. I understand this is full frame, but I feel the comp works with space on the right b/c of the female's wing being extended.
Man, that looks like one dominant individual!! Love the scene and setting. I agree with your critique about comp but sometimes moving is not possible. If you could have pointed your lens a bit left from where you were it would have worked too. Still an awesome scene, worth reducing the saturation and perhaps playing with the colour of the grasses which I find a tad bluish.
Hi Jamie, great timing, but the overall image is way too saturated. These are very colourful birds, with a rich depth of colour, but not to this degree. Taming the colour would produce an excellent image, but a little tight for me, a bit more space all round with give both the courting couple and the image room to breath.
Mating Pheasants
Reply With Quote
