Chestnut-backed Chickadee

[Gail Spitler]

One of the species that I think is among the cutest. Very cloudy day with drizzle starting.
Processed in LR2 and mostly in PS CS4
C & C much appreciated.
Thanks for looking
Gail
Canon 7D with 500mm + 1.4x, 1/100 sec @f/6.3, 0EV, pattern metering, ISO 400, no flash, gimbal head on tripod

[Jackie Schuknecht]

Very nice Gail, I like the pose and the sharpness looks good with the TC. Might just sharpen it a bit for the web. Never seen this kind of chickadee, they are my favourite bird (black-capped).

[Lance Peters]

Hi Gail - Cute little fellow - lots to like here - exposure looks good, Good HA and eye contact - BG compliments the little fellow nicely.
I might slice a little off the top to move the eye up into a ROT.
SS a little slow at that focal length - but pretty sharp nonetheless.
Well Done Gail!

[Katie Rupp]

Yes, indeed, very cute! Sharp, nice bg and very nice inquisitive look.

[Cheryl Slechta]

Gail, love the bg and the pose. He looks like he's got a lot of personality:) If you're not philosphically opposed,
I think I'd evict the little knot sticking up on the left top of the branch.

[Harold Davis]

agree with lance and jackie. a little off the top and a bit more sharpening and you have a winner! love the pose of the bird in the soft light.

[Julie Brown]

Gail, this is a very cute bird. Good color, HA, and nice BG.

[Craig Wallace]

Very cute, they are one of my favorite. Does have a nice inquisitive look. Like the perch and BG. Very good image.

[Gail Spitler]

Thanks for the suggestions and kind words. I will indeed NOT the knot.
Cheers
Gail

[WIlliam Maroldo]

Very good image. Composition, pose, exposure, all top notch. I love overcast lighting, but the downside is you generally need to deal with higher ISOs. Here I think you could have gone to ISO 800-1000, making sure to expose to the right(histogram) and not clip the highlights A higher shutter speed probably would have helped sharpen the image that is a bit(not much) soft, and a bit more DOF would have helped as well. Tripods do nothing other than reduce camera movement blur, as I'm sure you know. Tripods aren't necessarily as rock solid as you would expect either. Depends on wind, the solidity of what it is set on, how the shutter is released(cable?) etc.. Excellent work Gail. regards~Bill

[Gail Spitler]

Thanks Bill - before yesterday I was using a flash religiously as this grayness tends to hang in this time of year. I can get close enough that I don't even need the Better Beamer, but it does get tiresome to lug all this gear around. The unfortunate part is that's when you finally get a chance at the image you've been trying for for days, you don't have quite the right setup.:( Good thing I don't have to make a living doing this.
Again good suggestions and kind words - much appreciated
Gail

[Oscar Zangroniz]

Hi Gail. Guess all techs coverd. Like your choice of subject. Great BG, HA and eye contact.
Regards