Purple Finch on Crabapple

[Bill Dix]

We were standing in someone's driveway in northern New Jersey waiting, along with a handful of other birders, for a reported rare visitor from the west coast to put in an appearance. When he (a Black-headed Grosbeak) finally appeared it was a bit of a letdown -- no good photo ops. But while we waited this male Purple Finch perched in the apple tree where the Grosbeak had been sighted earlier. I might have cropped tighter, but I liked the surrounding flower buds framing the little Finch.

D500, 500f4 + 1.4 TC, ISO 2000, 1/500s @ f/7.1 manual.

[David Roach]

Love that pose, creamy BG and the natural frame. Nice canvas overall. TFS

[John Mack]

Nice view of this male. Really like the way the bird is framed by the tree. Background looks good as well.

[gail bisson]

Nice little bird.
I find him a bit too centered and would crop from the LHS.
The vegetation really frames him nicely.
Gail

[Daniel Cadieux]

I like how small in the frame the finch is because the framing by the beautiful vegetation is excellent. Having said this, pointing your lens a couple of inches to the right (depending on what is or isn't out of the frame) would have helped the comp IMO. Perfect head turn and matching colours with the budding flowers.

[Bill Dix]

Thank you all. I struggled with the placement of the bird. I agree I would have liked him a little to the left, but didn't want to lose the oof vegetation in the lower left corner, which I think helps the framing.