This nice male grosbeak visited me at my backyard feeder this afternoon. It was quite a cloudy day, hence the high ISO, but just when this was taken, a bit more sun peaked through, and I could have gone to a smaller aperture.
D300 500mm f/4 at f/6.3 1/2000s -.7 EC SB800 with beamer at -1.7 EC Gitzo, WII
It's always great to see the grosbeaks return in the spring. I like the perch, BG and angle. I wish for a bit more head turn, would sharpen the head more and give the bird more room. Maybe also a slightly lower color temperature.
What a lovely bird to have coming to your feeder - good job with exposure - perhaps try upping the contrast a bit - the blacks in the wings look a little greyish?
Thanks for the input. I have tweaked it a bit. The OP was a bit low in contrast in an attempt to hold the whites and reds from blowing. I went back and massaged it a bit, see what people think. It was done at work, without the original file, so I lost a bit of quality on the reprocess, but do think perhaps it is a better balance.
I guess I would prefer a version between these two images. In the first one the blacks are sort of wash out, but in the repost they seem too black for my taste.
I agree something between the two would be best. Perhaps a bit tight in the frame - if this is cropped I would add some back top and right. Neat velvety perch, is that from a sumac?
Nice capture of a beautiful bird. I don't know if this gets the birds colors correctly, but I set white point on the lightest feathers on the wing (242.242.242). Also brightened the eye a bit and sharpened.
Thanks everyone for the comments. This is almost full frame, have a little more to left and bottom, not top and to right, of course! I am so close to these guys that I can barely fit them in! It is a trade off. I am trying to get the biggest image possible of the little birds, and then one of the bigger guys jumps in!
Daniel - good eye, that is a flaming sumac perch.
This image was a good lesson for me. I was tired, and distracted while processing it, and didn't do my best job. I will let it cook for a while and see if I can't do this nice bird justice.
Thanks for the repost. I was typing the above while you were posting, so didn't see it until after I posted the above.
I think yours is the best compromise so far. You perhaps pushed the eye a smidge brighter than I would, but still nice overall.
I should have some more opportunities with this fellow this weekend, and will keep tweaking it.
Like most black and white birds, it is a challenge to keep everything within the dynamic range of the camera.
I might set up with the D700 which does a bit better (rather than the D300) and see how it looks. Plus, if you add in the red, which is very easily blown, its a challenge. And I thought loons were tough!
Randy, I like your comp, with the perch diagonally through the image. Lovely pose with great eye contact. I cant comment on the colours, as I am not familiar with the species. Seems like you get quite a few different visitors to your garden.
Sorry, I like the original post. The re-post has seen some of the details in the blacks lost. If anything, I'd adjust the contrast and gamma levels in PS. Agree it could be opened up some on the crop. Lots of detail, right down to the fine fuzz on the perch. Well done.