Caught this fellow pilfering seeds from my secret stash!
Converted in LR then cleaned up in CS4. Topaz Denoise on the bg and Nik Sharpener Pro on the bird. I left the bg foliage as is and I know I can clone out pine needles, etc... The bird was actually backlit here, but I thought I would have a go at competing with the sun. It's a real challenge.
50D, EF70-200mm f/2.8L @ 200mm
Av mode, f/5.6@1/800, evaluative metering EC0 ISO 400 AWB
AI Servo autofocus using back button, HH, 580EX II FEC 0 E-TTL mode Evaluative
I like the pose and esp the position of the left foot. The partially opened beak looks good to me. I also like the brown tones on the feathers. Nice bird!
I think that it is no need to clone out the pine needles because they are part of the feeder setup.
I think you did well with the backlighting, with good details in the dark. You also have a very nice head angle. For me, the background tips of the pine needles are bright, and they merge (especially around the head as bumps) in a way that pulls my eyes away.
you are firing on all cylinders here!! the only distraction here are the few needles intersecting with the head. the others are fine for me. fine image, kerry!!
House Finch
