This is one of a series of images I created while this Cardinal was baithing in a small man-made pool on the Martin Refuge. D2x with 80-400mmVR lens @ 280mm. ISO 400; 1/1600th of a second @ f5.3. The rather unusual BG is well lit, light-colored rocks, which thanks to the shallow DOF are very blurred.
HI Dick !!!! I like the behavior exposure and eye contact Would suggest showing more of the bath maybe a horizontal Bird feels tight in frame Also the point of critical focus in on the beak I like the reds very much on most they seem over saturated !!!
Dick
The pose is nice....and I especially like the water droplets. The reds are nice......not always an easy color to get right. I agree with Al that the bird is too large in the frame. Depending on if and how you cropped it, you could make a horizontal or possibly another vertical.
I have a D2x work camera and notice that the RAWs out of the camera tend to be a little under-saturated. I feel that a little higher contrast and saturation would make the bird appear more life-like. Having said this, I wasn't there when the image was taken!
I find this image very appealing all the way around. It is not the usual composition and behavior seen in photos, for one thing and for another, the saturation is not overdone as is often the case. I find the sharpness and detail very good; even if the beak might be slightly sharper, to me the difference is not great. I don't even object to the size of the bird in the frame. (-: On the other hand, a slight increase in saturation OR maybe just in brightness/contrast, slight increase in sharpness, and small addition to canvas if you have it, would probably make this stand out even more. Wish it were mine!
At the bath
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote