Photo taken with Nikon D300, 300mm f/2.8 lens, TC20E converter, Bogen 3021 tripod with Arca Swiss B1 ballhead and remote shutter release. 1/500 sec at f/7.1 and ISO 200. Las Cruces, New Mexico.
You did pretty well on the exposure for such harsh light at 13:26:23 in the afternoon.
I realize the bird is looking left but I'd like to see some more space to the right. I feel like he is about to bump into a wall.
Maybe tone down the leaves a little as they are a bit overpowering for the bird.
I'd recommended converting to sRGB rather than Nikon sRGB before posting. I get radically different versions of your image depending on which browser I open it in. You can also go a lot bigger (800 pixels) to get more for people to critique.
Welcome, Landy! Good to see this goldfinch variety. Adding to Jim's comments, I would crop a bit off the left and wish for better eye contact and a catch light. Keep them coming!
Landy, a nice male in good plumage. A more vertical crop would help this one and some fill flash would help balance the light and give a needed catchlight in the eye. Needs more room for the tail.
Welcome and ditto the above comments. When working in harsh light the #1 rule is to point your shadow right at the bird to minimize contrast.... Here, you needed to move well to the right. Also, desaturating the yellows would help quite a bit.
later and love, artie
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Lesser Goldfinch
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