New Year Woodpecker

[jfranciskay]

It was a frosty cold morning, but I have been trying to get a decent shot of this guy for a while.




400/5.6 + 1.4 TC
Camera Model: Canon EOS-1D Mark II
Focal Length: 560.0mm
Exposure Time: 0.0025 s (1/400)
Aperture: f/8.0
ISO equiv: 250

[Axel Hildebrandt]

Head angle, sharpness and exposure control look good. I also like the BG. I might crop a tad off the top and add a bit canvas on the left if you have. The 'virtual tail' is pretty close to the edge.

[Randy Stout]

Nice exposure, sharp, nice background colors.

I like the crop as presented.

Nice little downy.

Cheers

Randy

[Duane Noblick]

I'd like to see more detail in the blacks. I like the perch and the alert pose.

[Arthur Morris]

I love the feet and the perfect head angle. Did you set up the perch? EXP is right on and the BKGR is quite nice. Your 2010 is off to a good start.

[jfranciskay]

Arthur - Yes I did set up the perch. Been reading your "Art of Bird Photography I" (got it for Christmas)...its been a great help!

[kenn threed]

A very nice Downey shot indeed,

Exposure of the whites looks excellent, but I agree with Duane... wishing for more detail in the blacks.
I also see something slightly funky in the eye... some reflection in the lower hemisphere which makes a black horizon thru the center.

Hope this is helpful,

Kenn

[jfranciskay]

Thanks Ken. Yes I see it too. Looks like a dark line through the middle of the eye. Not really sure what that is either. There is a portion of the branch, out of frame, that is in front of an below the perch shown, I am wondering it is a reflection from that. Will check it out tomorrow when I re-visit the site. Also will take another look at the shadow detail.

[Arthur Morris]

Jim, Was there snow on the ground?

[Arthur Morris]

Arthur - Yes I did set up the perch. Been reading your "Art of Bird Photography I" (got it for Christmas)...its been a great help!

Hi Jim, Thanks. The perch has some nice character but I am not a big fan of the scraggly bark :) Please let us know in the original post when you are working at a feeder. :) I am glad that you are liking ABP soft cover. You would love the digital continuation, ABP II :)

IAC, a loverly image.

[jfranciskay]

Agree on the scraggly bark. Didn't really notice it until PP. Sorry about not mentioning the feeder part, will do in the future. With my "toy" (400/5.6) lens its the only way I can get close enough. And yes, we do have a snow cover.

As soon as I finish ABP I, you will be seeing an order for II :) And my gosh, the shot on the cover of ABP I...WOW...I must have stared at that image for 20 minutes...my jaw just dropped....

[Arthur Morris]

And yes, we do have a snow cover.

First off, thanks for your kind words about the cover image. :) If you compare it with the (same) chapter opening image you will see that the cover image was optimized digitally. I took out some sticks, "opened" the males eye (that had been covered by the nictitating membrane), and probably changed a few other small things.

As for the strange eye in your image, I am pretty sure that I can explain it. When there is snow on the ground, it is actually brighter than the sky. So just as we see the upper half of a bird's eye (including the pupil and the iris) lighter where it reflects the sky, when there is snow on the ground, the lower half of the eye (including the pupil and the iris) is lighter because it reflects the snow! The apparently unexplainable dark strip in the middle is just the part of the eye that is reflecting neither sky nor snow.

I first noticed the phenomena the other day when looking at my images from Morton and trying to figure out why the lower halves of the bird's eyes was brighter than the upper halves...

[jfranciskay]

As for the strange eye in your image, I am pretty sure that I can explain it.

Thanks for the detective work(and also the details about the cover image)! Not sure I would have figured that out....

[Arthur Morris]

YAW. It only took me 27+ years to figure that out but I do not do much work in the snow.... :)

[Randy Stout]

Artie:

Still learning new tricks I see.

If you send me some sunshine and warmth, I can mail you some cold and snow, so you can practice more!

Cheers

Randy

[Arthur Morris]

Artie: Still learning new tricks I see. Cheers. Randy

I have always said that if you are not learning you might as well climb in the pine box. I also learned that I can still shovel snow with the best of them....

[Stu Bowie]

Super pose, and you have exposed this nicely. I like the colours on the head.