Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis)

[Jonathan Ashton]

Hand held, I have a couple of small sumacs in the garden and I thought this one might make for a colourful autumnal perch so I placed a feeder nearby and a single flash head with soft box directly in front, the camera was slightly to the left with a transmitter in the hot shoe.
The weather was cloudy slightly dull.

Image input equipment model : Olympus E-M1X
Lens focal length : 210 mm
Focal length in 35 mm film : 421.0mm
Exposure mode : Manual exposure
Photographic Sensitivity : 400
Exposure bias : 0 EV
Exposure time : 1/250 sec
F number : F6.3
Flash : ON (Fill-in)

ACR + PSCC

[gail bisson]

Good flash work and I like the way the the top and bottom branch and leaves frame the bird.
I would trim back/prune the leaf tips that are touching the head.I would also trim the little dead brown bit on bottom of RLC. and the little leaf exiting the frame in RLC. It tidies things up.
IQ is excellent.
The BG looks beautiful and I wish that OOF branch was not there at all to show even more of that great BG.
Do you have some more canvas LHS? I find the crop a bit boxy.

Gail

[Bill Dix]

Nice flash technique, beautiful background, good pose. I like the leaves framing the bird, but would like it just as much without the oof leaves above. At least trim the several leaf tips touching the bird.

[William Dickson]

Yep more cropped from the top...Looking good Jon. Love the colours... I don't think the Golfinch are looking quite at their best yet.

Will

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Jon, I think this is lovely, but agree with Will, the GF's are not perhaps at their best currently and I would crop some off the top with that lighter RHC.

Overall it looks a bit 'Contrasty' , to much black masking things, especially the finer detail. I would try to oped things up a bit and get some more detail back in. In doing so the BKG adds a bit more separation to the subject and the detail you captures is more evident. Is the Flash off camera, would be better if it was.

TFS
Steve

[Arthur Morris]

Contrast looks fine from here. My main problem is the centered subject and those leaves just above the bird's head ...

You might have tried putting the bird on the left side of the frame looking out to accentuate the fall color.

with love, artie

[John Mack]

Detail on the bird looks pretty nice. Wish the bird was more to the right or left and not dead center. Nice and sharp. Flash was well controlled.

[Jonathan Ashton]

Thanks for the feedback every one, I have attached the original file uncropped so you may appreciate the choice I made when cropping. I have also reduced contrast in the goldfinch and raise exposure slightly.

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi John, I still stick by my thoughts, however I do feel the 'tan' colour in the body plumages is better in your RP. What is surprising is the red in the face plumage, here it appears more orange/red ours further south are deeper red.

[Jonathan Ashton]

Hi John, I still stick by my thoughts, however I do feel the 'tan' colour in the body plumages is better in your RP. What is surprising is the red in the face plumage, here it appears more orange/red ours further south are deeper red.

Yes the orange/red head is a temporary circumstance, it will become the customary red over time. The tan colour has effectively been diluted as a result of a slight lift in exposure and a drop in contrast.

[Steve Kaluski]

The tan colour has effectively been diluted as a result of a slight lift in exposure and a drop in contrast.

Positive then, as it's certainly closer to what we have in the garden.

[Tim Munsey]

hmmmm think you need a better specimen Jonathan looks a little scruffy, like the use of foliage for framing.