White-throated Sparrow in snow.

[Bill Dix]

D90; 80-400 VR @ 400mm. ISO 500. f/7.1 @ 1/250s. +0.7 EV.

Sparrow was perched on a twig sticking out from a snow-covered bush. This was a quick trial shot taken through a double-paned storm door to test exposure before going outside. Exp. comp. was about right I think, but this would have been better at lower ISO with more SS and an extra stop; not to mention the two panes of glass. When I went out and sat for a while in the snow, the woodpeckers, juncos and titmice came back to play, but the sparrows stayed hidden in their bush until I went back inside, so I didn't get to repeat this under proper conditions. Adjusted levels slightly to remove blue cast, but there's still a bit on the bird's breast.

[Harold Davis]

loving the perch and the high key!!! really nice. the capture angle is just a little steep and the head angle off just a tad. a slight boost in contrast will clear up the eye and bring out more detail in the whites.

really well done, bill!!

[Lance Peters]

Ditto Mr H - but not bad for shooting through 2 panes of glass - A tad soft - but to be expected.
TFS

[Bill Dix]

loving the perch and the high key!!! really nice. the capture angle is just a little steep and the head angle off just a tad. a slight boost in contrast will clear up the eye and bring out more detail in the whites.

really well done, bill!!

Thank you Harold. It's funny what our perceptions do to us sometimes. My lens was actually two feet higher than the bird, looking slightly down on him; but since the twig was sticking up out of the ground at a steep angle, and the bird looking up, he does appear to be above me. I hadn't noticed until you mentioned it. I agree about the head angle; would have preferred the bill to be a bit more in profile. Here's a repost with a tad more contrast (bird and perch on a layer with USM 20/50/0 at 60% opacity). It's subtle but does help. Thank you.

[Jackie Schuknecht]

Too bad you couldn't get a clean shot w/o the glass. Just a little steep Bill. So hard to get all the elements together for a great shot.

[Katie Rupp]

Hi Bill. if you hadn't told us about shooting through the glass, I wouldn't have suspected it. I really like this little sparrow in the snow; sharp, nice eye...love the puffed-up breast and the feet detail.