Gus's photo of the Nuthatch made me go through my files and find one of mine. Most of my avian images are created either in my backyard or at local nature areas & small lakes. This is one from last winter when the nuthatch came in to feed at my nut feeder.
In post processing I did a levels adjustment on the entire image and then lightened the face just a bit with Viveza as there was a slight shadow. I also straightened the feeder in the frame.
Canon 40D, EF 400 f/5.6L
f6.3 @ 1/500th, ISO 400
Daylight WB, Pattern metering, handheld, natural light
Hi Jules - not normally a fan of feeder images - this is quite nice - the clouds in the BG certainly add some interest to the image. lIke the pose and the food in the mouth.
:)
Thanks Lance. I know "feeder" images are not always the most popular but it's where I see the most action with my 400mm lens so I take what I can get. ;) I believe the clouds you are referring to in the BG were actually snow drifts at different levels of my backyard. Yes, if we think summer has been brutal, winter was also no walk in the park. It's been a bad year to live in the Midwest all the way around!
One thing you could do Jules is set up a couple of natural perches near the feeder and with nice backgrounds, then make your images as the birds perch there before going to the feeder. I'm going to set up something like that this winter at home.
White-breasted Nuthatch in Winter
