She sure was puffed-up and giving me a cold stare! There are things about this image that could be improved: looks like the bird is too centered, and the branch she is perched upon is a big distraction above the head. Also, BG is too busy. Any suggestions around sharpening or anything else will be helpful.
I'm in CT with about two feet of snow and it is still falling. I ship out for Florida tomorrow and look forward to spending my days with the birds and my camera. Last February after visiting the Everglades I decided to jump into bird photography, so happy I did. Practice practice practice; I'll be spending a day with Sid and maybe I'll run into some of the "regulars" . I'll be in the Pompano Beach area for about 10 days. I'd like to meet up with
some of the BPN folk, so please let me know if you are around! thanks for all your help along the way! Ann
Certainly a shame about the big branch, especially as it intersects the head. Perhaps a small step to the left would have given a slightly clearer background. I think you could crop a bit closer from the right, and this would eliminate some of the busy surroundings.
To me the bird could have done with a touch more sharpening and the some shadows on the left could be opened up a little. I guess the sun was coming from the right?
Have fun meeting some of the BPN people. I would certainly love the chance, but there are not too many in my area.
Ann, send a PM to James Shadle and let him know where you'll be. I'm sure he can let you know who's down there and where to get a hold of them.
I love these sparrows...I haven't seen any around my winter feeders yet but I usually get a few in February. The image feels a bit soft in the plumage and I'm not sure you'll be able to make it much better with sharpening as you already have a fair amount of noise in the BG. If it was a perfect BG I'd say give it a try but I think this one might just have a little too much going against it. I'd still keep it, though - it's got a killer portrait look!
These are beautiful birds. There are dozens of them in the wetlands near our house and I have been fortunate to be able to shoot them all winter so far. They do tend to hang out in the brambles and bushes so getting a clear shot is not easy. I love the look and the stance this one took for you.
White-throated Sparrow
