Dark-eyed Junco

[Andrew McLachlan]

Here is one from last winter. I shot this from an insulated blind, equipped with heater and a holder for baby monitor, that I set-up in backyard so that I could work on my winter songbird photography, at a feeder set-up, while my daughter was having her afternoon naps. This was a bitterly cold snowy day. The rose hips came from my wife's flower shop.

I like the snow streaking through the composition here as it shows the bird in the elements. I used quick masks and cloning to remove several sunflower seeds from the foreground snow.

D200, 80-400 VR lens @ 400mm, f8 @ 1/60 sec., ISO 320. I shot this with VR turned on and lens mounted on a loose ballhead that is bolted down to a 2 X 4 inside the blind.

Look forward to comments.

[Richard Stern]

Hi,

For me it's an excellent image. The Junco is sharp, and although the angle is steep, the inclusion of the stalk and rose hips justifies that. The hips add just the right splash of color. I also like the starburst effect of the snow streaks. You obviously put a lot of thought into that image. However, a very minor point - it would be even more effective if there was a space between the beak and forehead, and the berries.

Richard

[Arthur Morris]

Love the rich tones, the perfect EXP, the SH, and of course the berries. (Did you put the berry branch in place?) And I love the snow spray. I would actually have liked this a bit wider all around as it needs a good bit more room on the bottom. Perfect head angle and I love the detail in the hood and breast feathers. Lastly, it would have been even better without the merge between the bird's head and the berries.

[denise ippolito]

Andrew, One of my favorites to photograph. I like the image design with the berries and snow. It looks sharp and well exposed. I agree w/ Artie regarding the merge but it is still quite lovely.:)

[Gary Esman]

Very cool looking bird. Really like the composition, especially the berries in the background.

[Andrew McLachlan]

Thanks for the comments. Very much appreciated.

Arthur, the berries were placed on the feeder. I have decided that this year I need to place the blind about a foot, maybe two feet, back from feeder. This will force me to have more room around the birds in the compositions.

[Arthur Morris]

Hey Andrew, Thanks for getting back to me and good plan!