Bluebird

[Anita Rakestraw]

Okay, first post. Taken from my deck this past spring with Canon Rebel XT:

f/11, 1/125, FL 730, lens Canon 100-400 L IS, 2x extender, tripod.
Full frame (cropped to 8x10 dimension); used fill flash (PSP X2) on selected area in post-processing, sharpened; light gradient on sky.

This year will put out branches around my feeders!

[Robert Smith]

Looks like a good job on the focus and exposure - especially for all that glass reaching out there... I love the detail & the blue background.

The "about to bend over backward" while looking out of the image causes me to fret just a bit.

Yep, a more natural-looking perch would be nice - perhaps a tad lower as well.

What a treat! Looks like you've got a great back deck!

[Howard Burkert]

Nice Eastern Bluebird, and nice first post. Don't be afraid to photograph a bird in direct sun! Have the sun at your back. Go to "Big Lots" and get a couple of big spring clamps and clamp a tree branch directly to the iron rod that the bird is now on. Nice sharp focus, hope you share more images.
Best,
Howard.

[Anita Rakestraw]

Bob and Howard, thank you so much for the helpful critiques. I have already, in just a few days' membership, gathered up some good tips for photographing birds and am eager to put them to use! At this point, I only have a handful of somewhat successful bird photos; I am so eager to be able to create "breathtaking" bird photos like so many I see on this site and others! With the help of the great folks here, maybe in another year I will be closer to that goal!