Captured this beauty this afternoon in a local grassland preserve. C&C welcome.
D500, 500 PF, 1/2000s, f 5.6, ISO 1250, HH
I did a bit of highlight toning down on the sparrows right leg, foot, and branch, but wanted to leave it as natural as possible. Most of his body is in the bright shade and I liked his slight turn. Some eye work as well.
Nice pose here, and I like the overall colour tones. BG looks OK, but I do wish it would have been a bit farther away for more blur to it. Still not bad though but yes to the unfortunate dark patch near the tail. Do you have more room top and right?
Bird is nice and sharp and the detail o that right/front leg is sweet, particularly on the claws. Lack of direct light is tough, and the botchy gray background doesn't let the subject pop. He is giving you a fantastic direct look,
and the eye contact carries the image.