Yellow Breasted Chat

[Roy Priest]

Status:
British Columbia Red List
Canada: Threatened (British Columbia population)

This large warbler has become quite a star here in the Vancouver Area.

Nikon D300S
Lens: VR 500mm F/4G
Focal Length: 700mm
Aperture: F/5.6
Shutter Speed: 1/400s
ISO Sensitivity: ISO 400

[Julie Kenward]

Roy, don't you love these little ones? They are so fast but so colorful - it's worth it to get an image of them.

I think your bird is a bit soft here all over - do you think this is from a large crop or did you just miss the focal point of his eyes/face? I'm not sure how much you can sharpen this up without it becoming "brittle" but it might be worth a try.

I'd also recommend calming down the bright area on the perch - it is really pulling my eye away from the bird.

Nice placement in the frame and the yellows aren't too overly saturated but you might want to try pulling them back just a bit and see what you think.

[nancy hazen]

Great catch! I love the look he's giving you. It would be interesting to see a shot that wasn't cropped so heavily.
Nancy

[Julie Brown]

Hi Roy. Jules covered the techs. Good job getting this guy out in the open. They are usually very active and like to hide. :)

[Peter Farrell]

Roy, Ilike the pose, Bg and colors of the bird. It does look a little soft especially around the head.
Peter

[Roy Priest]

Roy, don't you love these little ones? They are so fast but so colorful - it's worth it to get an image of them.

I think your bird is a bit soft here all over - do you think this is from a large crop or did you just miss the focal point of his eyes/face? I'm not sure how much you can sharpen this up without it becoming "brittle" but it might be worth a try.

I'd also recommend calming down the bright area on the perch - it is really pulling my eye away from the bird.

Nice placement in the frame and the yellows aren't too overly saturated but you might want to try pulling them back just a bit and see what you think.

Julie, this is my first YBCH and yes they are fast and on the move. It was sharper before I converted it to jpeg.

[Roy Priest]

Great catch! I love the look he's giving you. It would be interesting to see a shot that wasn't cropped so heavily.
Nancy

Thanks Nancy.

[Roy Priest]

Hi Roy. Jules covered the techs. Good job getting this guy out in the open. They are usually very active and like to hide. :)

Thanks Julie. this particular bird has been hanging around for about 10 days now and is not particularly hard to find but it's hard to get him on a natural perch as he likes to work the fence row.

[Roy Priest]

Roy, Ilike the pose, Bg and colors of the bird. It does look a little soft especially around the head.
Peter

Thanks Peter.

[Roy Priest]

Thanks everyone I've posted another shot of the YBCH and taken all the suggestions. Hopefully this is better.

[Gus Hallgren]

Hi Roy;

Nice to see you again. How's the winter run of Steelhead on the Vedder these days?

I have a free 30 days with a program called "Perfectly Clear" All I did was open it in PClear and this is the default results. Interesting how it toned down the BG

Gus

[Julie Brown]

Hi again Roy. I like your second image very much. The detail is more apparent, and you got a better head turn.

[Roy Priest]

Hi Roy;

Nice to see you again. How's the winter run of Steelhead on the Vedder these days?

I have a free 30 days with a program called "Perfectly Clear" All I did was open it in PClear and this is the default results. Interesting how it toned down the BG

Gus

Hey Gus, thanks for the repost. I haven't heard much about the Steehead but the salmon run on the Fraser is going strong and there is an estimated 5500-6000 Bald eagles on the Harrison near the Chehalis river junction.

[Roy Priest]

Hi again Roy. I like your second image very much. The detail is more apparent, and you got a better head turn.

Thanks Julie, these were taken on a dreary rainy day and he was a little wet.