Cowbird

[Mike Wilhelm]

Nikon D7000 300mm F4, 1.7 tc, 1/800th, F10, -.33 exposure bias, 800 ISO

While not everyone's favorite subject, this bird displayed itself at close range and gave me an interesting image. I'm curious as to your opinion, feedback and advice. There was full sun on my back. The bird rested on a perch near a feeder in our backyard.

[John Chardine]

hey Mike, I don't care how common the bird is. I love cowbirds!

You had harsh light here which makes life very difficult, especially with a dark bird with lots of sheen. I like the pose and the head angle is almost there- just a little more CCW rotation would have been nice. The main issue is the room you have given to the subject, which I assume can be fixed with a different crop. I would try a crop with more room given to the top and left. This will remove the effect of the bird looking like it's in a small box.

[Randy Stout]

Mike:

Good points by John. Please take advantage of the full posting size, so we can better appreciate and critique the image. This is only 500 x457 or so, an you can post up to 1024 x 800.

Good choice on cropping from below to downplay the massive perch.

Soft light is your friend with this type of bird, as pointed out by John.

Cheers

Randy

[Ben_Sadd]

I and I am sure many others only get to see these cowbirds on rare trips to the americas, so there is no need to apologise. I second giving the bird a little more room left and top.

[Mike Wilhelm]

Thank you all for your suggestions. This is where my confession is made. The top of the photo is the very top of the image which is why the left side is cropped as it is so there is some margin balance. When I say the subject was close, it filled the frame. In any event, I'll work on being in a better position next time with, hopefully, less harsh lighting.

[Kerry Perkins]

Hi Mike, I don't know what software you use but it would be fairly easy to add a bit of canvas to the top in PS and open your crop on the left.

Your situation here reminds me of a time I came across a great horned owl just 10 feet away from me on a very overgrown trail with no room behind me. I had the 400mm on with the 1.4x TC! I couldn't even get the whole bird in the frame, but luckily this old fellow was resting and waited patiently for me take the converter off. We don't always have that kind of luck though...