European robin II

[Ben_Sadd]

Another robin taken over the festive period. As I mentioned earlier, these birds can be rather territorial. I managed to get an action shot of this particular bird having a go a greenfinch, with actual contact being made. I am currently having dilemmas about posting it though, as I am having some trouble with the background. Here is a much simpler static pose for the time being.

I have a near identical image with much more head turn, but liked this one with the head parallel to the sensor.

7D
500mm + 1.4
Av +1.67
SS 1/250
f/5.6
ISO 800
Fill flash at -2 1/3

This is full frame with standard pp.

[Richard Unsworth]

Lovely shot, nice details and flash work, colors are great!
bit tight on the right and wide on the left for me but personal taste only
and please post your Robin/Greenfinch shot I want to see it!
Rich

[Ben_Sadd]

Thanks. Yes, I agree I am a bit tight on the right. I should have got that right in camera, as I do not fancy adding canvas here :)

I will try and get the robin-greenfinch up tomorrow.

[James Alexander]

Ben-
Just gorgeous. I really like the orange against the background and you nailed the fill-flash.

[Maureen Allen]

Lovely. The bird is sharp and nicely detailed. I too wish for just a little more canvas on the right, but I wouldn't try to add it either :)

[John Chardine]

Nice to see the robin redbreast in the snow. Lighting is very nice. This is a personal thing but I remove flash catch lights because they are never in the right place, i.e., where the sun should be. Have a go at adding canvas on the right just for practise!

[pat lillich]

lovely - and the background and snow are gorgeous. I don't think it will be hard for you to add the canvas on the right - will be interesting to see how it goes.

[Dave Leroy]

A really good looking bird and pose.

Perhaps you do not like adding canvas or cropping.

I think it would add a lot to the photo with just a tad more tail room and I would also take a bit from left and nothing from top or bottom so bird stays the same size.

Looking forward to more.

Dave

[Ben_Sadd]

Thanks again for the comments. I am currently at the end of a 3 month stay in Berlin and I am moving back home, so I will make some attempts at adding canvas when I am settled back in.

[Rob Mckenzie]

Wow! Awesome shot.
I agree with John - I couldn't put my finger on what was wrong with the flash catch-light until he said it is unnaturally placed. Also agree with the crop comments. Aside from those tiny things it is stunning.

[John Chardine]

A setting sun would produce a catchlight roughly (maybe a little higher) in this position but the sun would appear to be bigger and less pin-like. I've taken the liberty of adjusting the eye and cropping for consideration. I made some canvas on the right using a Quickmask technique outlined in Robert O'Toole's APTATS. For the eye I cloned out the catchlight and brightened the existing diffuse catchlight using the dodge and sharpen tools.

[Ben_Sadd]

John,

Thank you very much. That is great. I like everything you have done with it.

I really appreciate the advice on enhancing the existing but dull natural catchlight.

I guess I should get APTATS for the canvas extension technique :)

[Ben_Sadd]

Thanks again for the comments. Here is my reworked version.