Grasshopper Sparrow
D90. 80-400 VR @ 400mm. ISO 1600. f/7.1, 1/1600s. 0EV. HH.
Got this very secretive fellow yesterday at a grassland preserve near home. IQ is compromised by very large crop, high ISO in marginal light; but he is the first Grasshopper Sparrow I've ever seen or photographed, so I thought I'd post it. Salvaged it as best I could with some NR, curves and levels, selective USM. C&C always appreciated.
Last edited by Bill Dix; 06-12-2010 at 10:20 AM. Reason: add ISO
Great job Bill. It sounds like a lot of work and it shows.
Not knowing what the rest of the image is like, placing the bird lower and more to the left may give you a stronger image. The bird would have someplace to fly up and into, and we may be able to see more of the environment that you found him in.
Thanks for sharing,
Clive
Thanks for looking, Clive. I normally would have placed the bird lower and to the left, more according to the ROT; but in this case I didn't want to cut off the stalk he was sitting on. You make a good point, though, and I will explore the possibility of moving him down a bit.Originally Posted by CliveTonge
Bill - really nice pose with the prey, nice environmen, and lovely subdued colors.
I agree about trying to move him down just a bit - you'd only have to cut out a small part of the vertical branc - then clone in a bit more green canvas on top.
If it were mine, I'd also consider cloning out the upper right very oof branches as they don't add anything except distraction.
Cheers -
Sandy r
Hi Sandy. I originally considered taking out the oof URC, and couldn't decide whether it was a distraction, or helped to frame the subject. Here's a repost with it taken out. I agree that it's easier here to focus on the bird, but there's a lot of empty space. I'd be interested in hearing what others say.
Hi Bill I think you did as well as could be expected form your position, only more glass would have made a better image, placement wise you normally don't want to center a little guy, best to move toward on of the corners but I know this is a big crop already, moving down would be next step !! Great suggestions !!!
Hi Bill, I was up your way today. Went to a Photoshow in Somerset and then down the canal road into Kingston and then into Princeton. Beautiful day and ride.
I like this shot with out the branches. What about a portrait crop??
Here is my thought---but may seem a little cramped.
Hi Bill - good advice above - little hard for crop suggestions when its already a big crop.
Like the included habitat and the pastel colours.
Good show :)
Thank you all for the comments and helpful suggestions.
Posting Permissions
