D300, 400 2.8 w/1.4tc, 1/500, f4, iso400, man exp
Image made in my backyard (cherry tree), paused for a moment while heading to suet block. Some separation from moss/lichen at head would be nice and would not be too difficult in ps.
Thanks for looking, comments and critiques appreciated.
Todd
Last edited by Todd Frost; 01-16-2010 at 01:39 AM.
I agree with your critique re the BG lichen and head, Todd. Perch has heaps of character and focus looks sharp. I would probably tone down the sharpening on the lichen a bit is starting to look a little "crunchy". Darkening down the bright area in the BG may also be worth a try.
You could get separation by all or some of the following. Midtone contrast reduction of the lichen, de-sharpnening(or blurring) the lichen, desaturating the lichen, saturating the bird. You could even lower the saturation of everything but the bird. but I would vote to see the lichen stay. Although the perch is what would usually be considered too large for the bird it looks just right here. I would crop in to eliminate the lower right hand corner OOF stuff, and lessen the ammount of lichen at the upper left hand corner. I love the shot for real. If you saturated the birds yellow would that through off how he really looks?
This is a fantastic shot. I actually wouldn't touch the lichen, but that's my way of shooting (not a fan of altering the perch the bird was on), and certainly not everyones cup of tea.
I love the sharpness, the absolutely perfect textured perch, and your composition.