I found this look-back Eurasian siskin out by the coast last month. I've Photoshopped the shot heavily; see original image below. The Eurasian siskin is a cute little ball of yellow feathers. Shanghai's got a bumper crop of siskins this year; they're even flying into the depths of the megacity. Being cute and numerous, siskins are inevitably getting snatched up by the cagers. I found one, an old man, in the park near my house in downtown Shanghai. Where'd you get him, I said. Why, I caught him, he said. When I said that that's a no-no, he said he got to go-go, and skedaddled with his prize.
Device: Nikon D3S
Lens: VR 600mm F/4G
Focal length: 600mm
VR: ON
Aperture: F/6.3
Shutter Speed: 1/500
Exposure Mode: Manual
Metering: Center-Weighted
ISO Sensitivity: ISO 250
Last edited by Craig Brelsford; 12-19-2010 at 11:53 PM.
Hi Craig, once again, thanks for showing us what you have done. Great pp work, and flipping this makes sense. Yellow's and blacks always go well together, and I like the look back pose. Maybe a little off the top.
Quite a rework from the original. The light angle resulting in the shaded face and back works against you here. It looks like you brought those areas up some, perhaps a touch more if the noise will allow.
I agree with Stuart about a crop from the top. I would go just below the leaf on the green stem.
Thanks, Stu, thanks, Randy! Do you guys want the crop from the top because of that leaf or because you think the siskin should occupy still more space in the frame? Methought him big enough there; siskins after all are little creatures. The leaf could be cloned out easily enough.