Southern Gray Shrike

[Richard Stern]

Photographed in Feb., at Desert National Park, Rajasthan, India. Bright haze. Difficult to get the blacks and whites right. Comments appreciated.

D300, 80-400VR, hand-held.

Focal Length: 400.0mm (35mm equivalent: 600mm)
Focus Distance: 15m
Aperture: f/10.0
Exposure Time: 0.0006 s (1/1600)
ISO equiv: 500
Exposure Bias: -0.67
Metering Mode: Spot
Exposure: aperture priority (semi-auto)
White Balance: Manual

Some noise reduction, curve adjustments, usm.

Richard

[Tony Whitehead]

Difficult one this, Richard. Light from behind right and black and white plumage. What did you spot meter from to need the -2/3 EC? Some fill flash may have helped throw some light on the near side and open up the areas in shade. I like the BG with the hint of sky. Removing the twigs on the right would be an option.

[Axel Hildebrandt]

I like the alert pose, eye contact and BG. If it were mine, I would remove the branch on the right.