Dark-eyed Junco

[Diane Miller]

Not as exciting as "wildlife" shots, but at least this isn't the usual staging perch I put up near the feeders; it's a scraggly half-dead fig tree that birds often use as they come and go in the vicinity. So I set up near it hoping for some action and got lucky with this little guy. We have a lot of these cute and sweet little birds. They will let me approach closer than a lot of the others will. (A year ago one let me pick it up when it got in the house and couldn't find its way out.)

Canon 7D II, 600mm II, tripod, ISO 1600, f/8 1/400 sec. +1 EC. Cloudy-bright. Cropped from horizontal to vertical with a sliver off the top due to a spot on the branch. (I was rotating the camera to vertical when he flew.) Just LR on this one, and very basic adjustments. Only the standard NR and no sharpening except the standard setting in LR Export.

Seeing it here, maybe I have a bit of a magenta cast... Will check on it.

[Randy Stout]

Diane:

Sharp, well exposed, nice head angle, really like the 'grip' displayed. Soft bg.

I might try a very small crop from the right to move him a bit off center, and since the gaze is to the left, the neg space there works for me.

Cheers

Randy

[gail bisson]

I have to agree about the magenta cast but that is an easy fix.
I would like to see a bit more space below.
Otherwise, it all looks good.
IQ is excellent, head tilt is sweet and BG and perch are very nice.
gail

[Diane Miller]

Thanks, guys! No more below but I could manufacture some. Here's a CC. Not it looks a bit warm, but I can always blame that on the light. Thought I had moved him a little off-center as Randy suggested, but looks like I didn't....

[Doug Brown]

I like the simple vertical composition with clean perch. Nice sharpness too. The repost does a good job of removing the slight cast, but I'd still crop a bit off the right.

[David Salem]

Beautiful frame of this handsome bird. The details and exposure are perfect and I like the pose and perch. Agree with a little off the rt but otherwise a real beauty.

[William Dickson]

First time I have seen this bird. Great capture and lovely looking image Thanks for sharing

[Marina Scarr]

It's funny how everyone sees things so differently, which is one of the things that makes BPN fun. Love the RP, Diane, but I would personally like to see more space top and bottom.

[Diane Miller]

Would be easy to add more top and bottom -- I'd like that, too. I was just starting to rotate the camera to vertical when he took off. I'd also like to bring back more of the plain BG on the left (there is lots there) and place an artistically OOF branch, or some other hint of a BG object, there, to balance the bird. Don't know if I can find a suitable one, though. If I can, I'll repost.

Thanks, everyone, for the comments!

[arash_hazeghi]

I also like the repost. I like how the feet are separated and grabbing different parts of the perch, nice HA. sharp with good details, well done.

[Juan Carlos Vindas]

Very nice details at that ISO. Lovely species. I also like the repost as presented.

[Diane Miller]

I added some canvas top and bottom, and while I was at it, added a twig to fill the empty space and give it three objects instead of two. Curious as to how if strikes folks.

[Hazel Grant]

I like the added twig. Didn't think the OP had too much space until I saw the later post. Adds depth. We have these little guys around here, to and they are very skittish. I'll keep trying. You say you got near, but then I see 600mm....how close did you get?

[Diane Miller]

Thanks Hazel. In this case I was shooting them from a little distance, but when I'm sitting on the deck watching them come to the feeders, they'll let me approach (carefully) closer than many of the other birds -- maybe to 10 feet or so. The one that let me pick it up in the house was probably too exhausted to resist; it was sitting on the kitchen counter by the window. But to fill the frame with such a small bird takes a reasonably long lens. I was maybe 20-25 ft away here. They are more skittish away from the deck, where food is less of a sure thing.

[Tobie Schalkwyk]

Beautiful shot Diane - and prove that a bird does not have to have bright rainbow colors to be beautiful! I love your final pic (although the earlier ones were not shabby either)! Nice feather detail & pose overall!