Shot with Sony A-550 w. 70-400 mm f/4 - 5.6 G type lens mounted on a Bush Hawk shoulder mount w. trigger, handygrip and bipod extension.
Shot in evening light in forest on property in Stagecoach, Texas - f/5.6 1/500 sec ev -0.7 ISO 250 400 mm (600 mm) spot metering
Hi William - Spot Metering?? What did you meter from??
Would advise against the use of spot metering - most will use evaluative or matrix - not sure what the sony equivalent is - spot is just too hard to be sure what you are metering and then if the subject is moving next to impossible.
Does look quite soft - maybe due to a large crop - might be worth posting the original - might help us see what is going on.
There's some potential here William for a painterly, artistic image. Agree with the above comments- moving the bird to the right would make for a nice composition, and some sharpening, even just around the eye and bill might bring the image up. If the image is soft to begin with I have found that no amount of sharpening really produces a good result- you can't make something out of nothing, even though the video enhancement in TV shows like CSI would lead you to believe otherwise!!!
Portrait of a Cardinal
