Determined

[Zenon Char]

Camera Model Canon EOS 50D
Firmware Firmware Version 1.0.3
Shooting Date/Time 03/17/09 13:22:47
Owner's Name
Shooting Mode Aperture-Priority AE
Tv( Shutter Speed ) 1/640
Av( Aperture Value ) 6.3
Metering Mode Evaluative Metering
Exposure Compensation 0
ISO Speed 100
Auto ISO Speed OFF
Lens EF300mm f/4L IS USM +1.4x
Focal Length 420.0mm
Image Size 4752x3168
Image Quality RAW
Flash Off
FE lock OFF
White Balance Mode Auto
AF Mode One-Shot AF
Picture Style Standard
Sharpness 3
Contrast 0
Saturation 0
Color tone 0
Color Space Adobe RGB
Long exposure noise reduction 0:Off
High ISO speed noise reduction 3:Disable
Highlight tone priority 0:Disable
Auto Lighting Optimizer 3:Disable
Peripheral illumination correction Disable
File Size 18108KB
Dust Delete Data No
Drive Mode Single shooting
Live View Shooting OFF
AF Microadjustment -3

[Fabs Forns]

Very nicely done, Zenon, well exposed with plenty of detail. IMO the image is a little tight, especially on the vertical side. Easy to add canvas if you don't have it.
Determined he is!

[Randy Stout]

Zenon:

A sharp fellow, with the classic woodpecker crop, 1/3 tree, 1/3 bird, 1/3 sky. I agree with Fabs about a bit more room top and bottom. Nice exposure of a challenging bird, if the contrast was any higher, it would be tough to keep it all in the dynamic range of the camera.

Thanks for sharing.

Randy

[Zenon Char]

Yes he even has that look on his face. Actually I cropped it tighter. Go figure. It's my second go at it. I'll post the original one day. Thanks.

[Arthur Morris]

Hi Zenon, All good comments above. Do post a wider crop here at your earliest convenience. Love the sharpness and the perfect EXP. As a general rule, do not have a whole bird take up more then 75% of the frame. Here you little guy takes up about 90% of the vertical frame.

Note to Randy :) The repost here is much closer to the classic woodpecker COMP; as originally presented, too much tree. The repost eliminates the o-o-f section of the tree--a win-win alll around.

[Zenon Char]

I was not aware of that. I had it the other way for about a week then cropped it yesterday before posting. I thought it may be better with more focus on the bird.

[Zenon Char]

Here is another version. It got got a little redder but I can correct that later.

[Kobus Tollig]

Ditto space but for the rest its great. Well exposed and good bg. I like what a
Arthur did to it

[Arthur Morris]

Your repost is better. I took a bit of of the bottom; we generally want a bit more space above the bird than below the bird. Do Downy Woodpeckers have red irises?

[Zenon Char]

Thanks. I'm still trying to get my head around this bird composition. This is helping. I am viewing other images differently. Not sure about the iris. I know little about birds and I'm just starting to get into it. Does something look off? I calibrate my monitor every week.

If I do not reply to any posts after Friday March 27 I'm not being rude. Off to the cottage for 4 days. No hydro, no internet.

[Arthur Morris]

Thanks. I'm still trying to get my head around this bird composition. This is helping. I am viewing other images differently. Not sure about the iris. I know little about birds and I'm just starting to get into it. Does something look off? I calibrate my monitor every week. If I do not reply to any posts after Friday March 27 I'm not being rude. Off to the cottage for 4 days. No hydro, no internet.

I was just asking if anyone knew if the iris of this speices is supposed to be red as it is in your image. Many birds have red irises; I am just not very familiar with this species.

There is a great chapter on "Advanced Composition and Image Design" in my CD book, ABP II. You would find helpful. Lear more here: http://www.birdsasart.com/ABPII.htm

Enjoy the cottage.

[Zenon Char]

Oh OK. Thanks very much

[Zenon Char]

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone. Came home after being gone for 4 days and got a nice surprise. I reworked the original with the suggestions and posted on my favorite photo of the day website. It has several categories including still life, B&W, scenic and so on. Got the POTD for animals on Friday. It is a good feeling because the judge has to go through 300 images per category. I thought it had a chance and composing it with the tips I got here I think really helped.