rock ptarmigan not on a rock

[annmpacheco]

Thanks goes to Gail for finding multiple ptarmigan. This habitat has the prettiest BG although it is quite busy. She staying with us comfortably for a good 5-10 minutes and provided different BG's. Lupines were behind her and i do like the colors in this image, along with the varied plant life.
I do not have any room below otherwise i would have allowed more canvas. Removed several grasses that intersected with the bird and a large dust spot.

D500
500mmPF

ISO 800
f8
1/1600

[arash_hazeghi]

Good looking bird and a nice pose, I like the idea of including some habitat but the image has a number of issues. I find it a bit busy in the FG with the pine twig sticking out right in front of the bird, the bright gaps in the BG aren't helping much either. Image overall looks a bit dark and the colors could go a bit warmer and less muted, I admit I haven't seen these birds at this location so they might look like this... he main issue however is that the bird is soft and lacking in clarity a bit. I took out the offending twig and sharpened the bird some but is still lacking, noise already started to show in the feet area I am not sure if it is from processing or lack of critical sharpness in the original RAW. but here is a repost anyway

TFS

[Mervyn Marsh]

What a nice looking bird, I really like the habitat in this photo, the b/g and forground look really nice, cheer, Merv

[Aditya Sridhar]

Nice shot Ann! I love the bird's plumage, must be a difficult species to spot. I'm a fan of the purple flowers, they really add that pop of color to the scene. I also like that we get a nice view of the bird's feet.

I have to agree with Arash. I do find some elements of the FG and the BG distracting. I suspect heat distortion was the reason for the sharpness issues judging by the characteristic shimmer in the BG. It can also be seen on the mound that the bird is standing on as some of the twigs have a distinct softness to them, even though they're in the DOF. Not much anyone can do about that, unfortunately.

Still a very good shot of this species

[Jack Backs]

Very nice environmental image. Arash's repost is much improved with the removal of the pine twig.

[gail bisson]

I love this setting and the little curvy weed in front of the ptarmigan.
I agree with Aditya that there is heat shimmer issues which is a real bummer. I deleted almost all of my shots from this sighting because of the heat shimmer.
I did get a couple without heat shimmer (likely when the wind picked up) so go through your images and find the ones with no heat shimmer.
Arash's repost really helped with the ptarmigan sharpness but I would leave that lovely little plant in.
Gail

[Alex Becker]

Great setting and love that we can see the clear feet. Arash's RP helped. I go 50/50 on the little plant, so I guess I am fine with it either way. Love the purple flowers in the foreground and BG. TFS

[Bill Dix]

Congratulations on getting a Ptarmigan in such a nice pose. The lupines provide gorgeous color. The thermal distortion is unfortunate but still a lovely image in my book.

[dankearl]

I would have left the plant in front and removed the plants popping up behind the bird if I removed anything.
Arash's sharpening really helped.

[Dorian Anderson]

I generally agree with Arash's comments, especially about general sharpness and details on the feet. I would, however, leave the pine twig as removing it feels rather like heavy-handed cloning to me.

[annmpacheco]

Thanks all, yes to the heat shimmer and i like the plant growth in front of the ptarmigan. For me it enhances the image. Yes to selectively removing something but i like to compose the bird and the habitat. I think most of us do...

[Krishna Prasad kotti]

Colorful scene. I like the tones (greens and blues)

Though the details on the bird are not great, Image is appealing to me.

TFS

[John Mack]

My favorite thing here is those colors just gorgeous. The pose on the bird is nice. Composition looks spot on to me.

[Geoffrey Montagu]

This is an excellent capture, Ann. Heat shimmer aside, I like the pose and nice to see the feet in that lovely habitat.

Geoffrey




http://500px.com/geoffreymontagu

[Moe Richard]

Wonderful colors, detail and DOF in this environmental image.