Eared Dove (Torcaza)

[Ramon M. Casares]

Hi all, today I wanted to share this image, from ... yes, today! This bird is as common as air here in Argentina, but this is the first time I get a shot where one can apreciate the withe feathers from the tail, the iridescence on the neck and where this Dove actually looks like a Dove and not just like a fat round feathered thing ;) as it usually looks like. It is was not easy to get this guy to pose like this, but after a while of thinking what I did to get him to get this slim pose was to locate the perch lower than the feeder and... voilá! :D I only wish for a more fanned tail and a less harsh light.
Hope you like it! Enjoy!

MarkII
70-200mm 2.8
Tv 1/1250 sec
Av f/11
ISO 640 (forgot to change it)
HandHeld
Feeder
I've aded some room all arround.

Comments are welcome and critiques are much apreciated!

[Judy Lynn Malloch]

Awesome image Ramon. Particularly love the diagonal composition with the excellent pose. The detail and eye contact is beautiful and the BG is a winner. Congratulations on a very stunning capture !!!!

[Maxis Gamez]

Hola Ramon,

Unos de los pajaros que nosotros ignoramos, pero de verdad que tu hiciste un excelente trajajo. La luz, detalles y colors estan fantastico! Bellisima!

[James Salywoda]

Sweet pose captured Ramon excellent detail I love the irredescense in the neck. Well Done!

[bill kominsky]

Hi Ramón I agree with Maxis, FANTASTICO.

Bill

[Joanna Trescott]

Really nice composition. The branch compliments the dove. Fantastic BG, . A great shot of a common site.

[Bob Blanchard]

Very nice capture, He very much resembles the doves we have here in Florida. This is a very nice pose, and capturing the Iridescence along the neck really sets this off in my opinion. Well done. Love that pose! I wish for just a bit warmer light to set off those wonderful eye rings, but you cannot control that.

[Simon Bennett]

Wonderful pose and subtle iridescence. I like you composition too.

[Juan Aragonés]

A fantastic result for sure Ramón, the pink iridiscences on the neck are to die for but I also love the superb pose of the bird and the eye contact. The BG is really nice. Considering that this species is light colored I suggest to tone down a bit the BG because both the BG and the birds lokks very close in terms of light (if you convert this image to B/W you will see what I am talking about). Toning down the BG would made the bird to pop-up a lot. Excelente trabajo!

[Ramon M. Casares]

Thanks to everybody for your kind words and comments, I aprecuete them very much, and Juan, I see what you mean, is this any better to you? Let me know! Thanks again! Have a ice day!

[Bob Blanchard]

Love that repost! Great suggestion Juan!

[Juan Aragonés]

Yes Ramón you got my idea and I like the repost a lot. Thank yoy for taking the time to consider my sugestion. :)During many years I have been devoting my time to bird painting and now I try to apply some of the rules and tricks that I learned about paintings to photography. Sometimes a great and intense color on an image can hidden a lot of details about the composition or light balance. Oure eyes are attracted by colors and do not pay a lot of attention to other details. In cases like your "torcaza" image I convert the image to B/W and this way I am not distracted by the color effect on my eyes and it is more easy to see the light balance between the subject and the Bg and it is more easy to evaluate the composition. Then I decide how to process the image. If you have a look to your original post in B/W and a different (exagerated) version that I created in B/W you will see how much the main subject pop from the BG. I do this trick a lot of time and then I process the color image. ;)

At the left is your original post in color and B/W versions and at the right is a different version that I processed. I exagerately darkened the BG just to show the idea.

[Raymond Barlow]

very cool image Ramon, I like your repost a lot, and a great concept from Juan, very well done.

[Nagesh Mula]

Beautiful!! Amazing shot of a very common bird. Again the background elevates the birds beauty.

[Ramon M. Casares]

Juan, mil gracias! I apreciate very much you taking the time to explain all that, it was very helpfull and interesting! Thanks to everybody again for your thoughts and insights! Have a great day!

[Juan Aragonés]

Ramón, Ray and Bob, I am happy to hear that you have found my suggestion is helpfull. :):)

[Mark Schmitt]

This looks so much like the "Mourning Dove". Is it the same bird with a different regional name? All of the suggestions regarding the Bg and bird are good. Better contrast between BG and subject works to delineate the two elements of the image for a better over-all image. Good photograph.

[Ramon M. Casares]

Mark, I think is not exactly the same species as the Dove you have in the US has a larger (longer) tail... I think...

[Mark Schmitt]

Ramon: you are correct. The U.S. species has a longer tail and it is pointed. still a very similar looking bird.

[Gyorgy Szimuly]

Love and unusual pose :)
Love the details and nice bg. Thanks for sharing.

Szimi

[Ramon M. Casares]

Ramon: you are correct. The U.S. species has a longer tail and it is pointed. still a very similar looking bird.

Yeap, they look very much alike, it's like the tail is almost the only difference.

Thank you all for your comments and apreciations!

[Alexander Koenders]

A winner of a picture. terrific.

[Harshad Barve]

Stunningly beautiful image with killer BG and details
TFS


Juan
What a way to explain the concept , Awesome , Thanks a ton.
TFS