One of the rare times that I have been able to find a cooperative W. Meadowlark! I had a small group of them feeding right near a road for me to pull up to and shoot from the car (I have a low car!). This individual is probably a first spring (almost!) bird, as it's not as bright as some of the others were in the group. Converted and cropped (30%) with NX2, PP'ed with CS3, sharpened and NR with Noiseware Pro, cloned out a few offensive bright spots and blades of grass in the bg. C&C welcome.
Camera Model: NIKON D300, handheld
Shutter speed: 1/2500 sec
Aperture: 7.1
Exposure mode: Manual
Flash: Off
Metering mode: Multi-segment
ISO: 1000
Lens: 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6
Focal length: 400mm
Focal length: 600mm (in 35mm film)
VR Image Stabilization: On
AF mode: AF-C
Last edited by Dan Brown; 02-03-2011 at 11:44 AM.
Reason: added EXIF
Glad you finally found a cooperative meadowlark. I like the colors and the pose, and the bird is nice and sharp. The light looks a tad harsh and I don't feel as though the crop is optimal for this particular pose. I'd have to experiment, but I think I would try taking some off of the right and giving him a bit more on the left since he is looking into the left side of the frame.
Dan, nice angle, pose and HA here. loved the colors too. Subject placement is always a little tricky when bird is walking one way and looking the other way. I like the way it is right now but also see the merit in Marina's suggestion.
Nice colors, its a beautiful bird...Agree with Marina, a bit more on the left, also think next time you should use a a bigger aperture, maybe f/5.6, it would improve the BG a bit...
You certainly had a lucky encounter, but you took full advantage of it!! Love the pose, and the low angle. I also like the freah grass. I agree with Marina re: comp. Worth experimenting with her suggestion. As posted the brightest yellows look hot and sure enough bringing the image into PS confirms clipping on those.
Thank all for the good critiques. I will have to adjust the comp. I think that when the bird is looking back into the frame like this, for me at least, it is an illusion that he/she is farther to the right than he/she really is!
Western Meadowlark
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