Eastern Blue Bird

[AJ Kunkel]

Sony A700, Sony 70-400G with Sony 1.4X TC, Better Beamer Flash Extender
560mm, ISO 800, 1/125, f/8, +1EV

[Doug Brown]

Hi AJ. I like the bird's pose, but I find it a little tight in the frame. I'd add a bit of canvas up top and on the bottom. I think another round of sharpening would help this image. The bird could be a little brighter. I might have used a bit more flash and eased off on the + EC; it would have given you more DOF/shutter speed and perhaps a slightly sharper bird. Thanks for posting!

[joel quenneville]

You have a beautiful bird here AJ. Photographing the bird with a distant BG gives you that nice soft green. Your lighting seems to be coming from the side so your choice of using fill flash was dead on. The bird looks a little cramped in the frame here, I would suggest some more room above and below. I would also have liked a little more DOF to get the tail in focus but you seem to have run out of light (f/8, 1/125s, ISO 800). If you are OK with PS, you might want to clone out some of the multiple catchlights in the bird's eye and leave only one.

[Maxis Gamez]

Hello,

Looks tight in the frame. Good head angle. I have to agree with Doug regarding the flash.

[Don Thompson]

Hi AJ. I like the bird's pose, but I find it a little tight in the frame. I'd add a bit of canvas up top and on the bottom. I think another round of sharpening would help this image. The bird could be a little brighter. I might have used a bit more flash and eased off on the + EC; it would have given you more DOF/shutter speed and perhaps a slightly sharper bird. Thanks for posting!

Not to hijack the thread, but how does easing off of the +EC increase the DOF? I understand the SS, but am confused about the DOF. When I am in AV mode and add EC, my aperture stays the same and the SS decreases. Where do I gain the DOF?

Please understand I am not questioning your being correct, this is a learning question from a less experience photographer.

Thanks.