Female Eastern Towhee

[Joel Eade]

1D3
300mm 2.8L + 1.4 TCII
Manual mode
Tripod
Backyard setup
ISO 1000
f/4.0
1/500
580 EXII + Better Beamer at -2 2/3 stops

[Gary Thompson]

Nicely done Joel, I like this shot. Good eye contact and head angle, and lots of nicely rendered details. The exposure looks good, and colors are accurate. I like the background as well. If it was mine, I would remove the flash catchlight from the eye, and maybe crop a little more of the top and left side of the shot.

Gary

[Joel Eade]

Thanks Gary, I appreciate your comments.

It's interesting...I posted a Blue Jay a few days ago and I removed the flash catchlight and everyone that commented said I should have left it in!

[Tommy Rodgers]

Joel,
I want to come and shoot in your backyard and listen to the guitar music. Nice clear, sharp capture. I like the eye. Thanks for sharing.

[Gary Thompson]

Thanks Gary, I appreciate your comments.

It's interesting...I posted a Blue Jay a few days ago and I removed the flash catchlight and everyone that commented said I should have left it in!

Joel, I went back and looked at your bluejay. My guess is that if you lightened the sky reflection in the eye just a bit, you would be all set. The pinpoint flash catchlights don't look right to me unless there is no other sign of light in the eye. This one seems bright enough to me without the addition of the flash. I personally don't like to see two of them, and it gives away that you used the flash. To me fill flash is to help bring out the details, and you shouldn't be able to tell it was used. I'm not sure what other people think about it though.

Gary

[Kerry Perkins]

Hi Joel, nice capture of a bird that is often overlooked. I think the perch is great because these birds are ground foragers and this is their typical behavior. Love the color, exposure, pose, and sharpness. I like how the bg color compliments the bird's color.

The reason people suggested having a catch light in your blue jay post was that there is hardly any light in that eye at all. In this image, there are two obvious catch lights and the flash would be the one to remove. Well done!