Trying to get a good capture of a Goldfinch I applied some of the things I learned on a recent Alan Murphy workshop in Texas. Still needs some tweeking , but I think I'm on the right track.
800 ISO f4 at 1/400th
Large crop as I did not have the 1.4 on the D3 at the time.
Joe, you got an excellent look-back pose and a perfect comp here! To my eyes the large crop is starting to show its effects, and I feel the image is a bit washed out and perhaps a tad overexposed. Lowering the midtones and boosting the contrast slightly would make this image pop nicely. I too think you are on the right track :-)