Female Redwing Blackbird
Near one of my feeders this afternoon: Canon 40D, 50-500mm @ 500, f/6.3, ISO 800, 1/200, CF tripod, sidemount gimbal. RAW conversion via CS3 ACR with a slight boost to clarity, vibrance & saturation. In PS isolated bird for unsharp mask, smart sharpen, inverse selection for despeckle on background. Opened in Noiseware and filtered for noise at default settings.
Hi Bob - I think female Redwing Blackbirds are very photogenic - one of my favorites. I like the overall composition and might think about the upward extending branch. I think I either want more of it or less, probably less and w I would clone it out. The bg is interesting - at first I thought it was too much but it kind of grows on you; I'd leave it - it is an interesting and creative presentation of the reeds. The bird might be a touch, but just a touch, over-sharpened.
Nice job
Cheers
Gail
Agree with Gail about the upward branch, I would remove it. Also like a little noise in the BG. You have great HA and eye contact and your subject is sharp.
Congrats
Hi Bob,
I like the composition, image and capture. The bird is placed just right in frame, you have good color rendition with a good head angle and sharp eye contact...the top branch is fine with me, its part of the natural habitat. For my taste I would diffuse the white reeds in the background to make them less promonent...aside from this, good show...looking forward to your next one...:cool:
Hi, Bob, very nice job on the blackbird; she stands out well from her surroundings. The branch doesn't bother me but I'm pretty ambivalent about the light-colored trees/reeds in the background. They're not that bad but think a more even background would be nicer.
Hi Bob - agree with all the above and some great advice.
I am not familiar with these guys - but do wonder - is that a halo around the tail area?? or do these guys have white feathers on the back of the tail and thats what this is???
Lance, I may post another view this evening that may show it better but the tail featers are rimmed with a light-tan/white outline. It does look a bit like a halo if you're not familar with them. The contrast in this image may emphasize it a bit more than is natural or it may be the way the light's catching the lighte edges. Notice how it wraps around the edges of each of the tail feathers... inside and out?Originally Posted by Lance Peters
Last edited by Bob Decker; 01-15-2010 at 07:34 AM.
Nicely captured, Bob. Just to confuse things, I'll go against the flow and suggest that to me, the left hand upward branch is needed to 'hold' the perch branch. And were it mine I might crop just a tad from the right - just the right-hand most white reed, to put the centerline of the bird at the 1/3 point. But that's just my personal preference. Well done.
Hi - Thanks - I did suspect that may have been the case.
Hi Bob Agree with suggestions and can add I would try setting up something for your bg around the feeder !!! Will make a difference !!!
Nice Capture Bob. I too would like a wee bit off the right side. The branch is fine. Al had a great idea on the background. Congrats... Richard
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