Sometimes we get caught chasing after the brighter and more colorful of the species. But this female cardinal caught my eye as it visited a feeder in a local park. The light was perfect, and through the viewfinder the subtle colors and patterns became evident. The original shot has all of the bird but I found the crop of the upper parts more interesting so decided to try this composition. It's a bit centered in the frame but I couldn't come up with a better presentation. Slight sharpening but very little processing.
I like the female cardinals as well. Very sharp, well exposed, good IQ, great eye.
Cropping to allow more detail to show worked well here.
Nice BG too.
I could see just a sliver more space at the top.
Nicely done as per Randy. Sweet BKGR and crest. A bit more d-o-f would have sharpened up the wing feathers.
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She's gorgeous!!! I agree a little more room at the top would be nice. The fine detail is superb!! Looks like she's munched on a few seeds with that bill.