Clean

[Paul Ricciardi]

So I've been trying for quite some time to get clean, frame filling images of small birds. I'm getting closer as I learn better field technique. Recently I've been photographing from a kayak which is working out really nicely for me and I'm enjoying it greatly. Haven't ID'd this guy but I believe he is a swallow of some sort (ID would be great).

Olympus E1, Sigma 50-500 @ 500mm, F/8, 1/400th, EV +.3, ISO 400

On the plus side the exposure is good, I think the head angle is decent, and the shot is fairly sharp. However I wish I had been able to fill the frame a bit more and I am not too sure how I feel about the centralized composition...think it could need a bit more sharpness on the eye but not sure. Let me know what you think, thanks a lot, I've learned so much here and still have a long way to go.
Paul

[John Chardine]

This is a new world flycatcher. They are tough to ID but this looks like an Eastern Phoebe.

You have a very nice BG here. Will the image quality allow a tighter crop?

[Doug Brown]

The BG is quite nice Paul! The bird is reasonably sharp and the perch has an interesting shape to it. Eye contact would really help this image. I might go with a vertical crop and eliminate the brightly lit portion of the perch. I would also crop much tighter if possible. It's tough getting close to the little birds sometimes, but it's great that you're out there practicing your technique. Thanks for posting!

[Ramon M. Casares]

I would go with a tighter crop fo sure, but other than that and a better head turn, the shot is very nice. Congratulations!

[Paul Ricciardi]

Thanks for the input (and ID) guys, the little birds are hard to get close to but I'm getting a lot better at it. I could crop it but as I've only got 5 MP to work with I try not to crop much. Guess I'll have to get closer :D

[Arthur Morris]

Nice perch and BKGR, but just too small in the frame to be effective.