OK so why is it a "holy mackeral" image?! I agree it is. Beautifully done Jim. I like it because of the colour, lighting, sharpness, BG, perch, eye contact, and I could go on. I REALLY like that the flowers are in focus and complement the bird so well. The only thing I would say is that on my calibrated laptop monitor, viewed head-on the head looks a little dark and I find myself increasing the viewing angle to brighten it up a bit. A superb image IMO.
Congratulations, Jim. What a beauty. Every thing is so in focus that it looks 3-D, plus the texture of the bird's head looks like velvet. I love how your two toned background is (loosely) divided by the stick. I remember that some time ago, I suggested a more interesting perch, you were holding back. This is a real memorable image and certainly one to be proud of.
Sweet. For all the reasons noted by John. My first reaction was that the head was soaking up every bit of light that fell on it; but as I study it I can see some detail coming through, just enough to give it that 'velvet' look that Grace mentions.
Hi Jim, another great Oriole shot. Great pose, nice HA and background. Got kind of close with the flower covering the tail but you were able to pull it off. My favorite bird we see in our backyard each spring! TFS.
Very nice spring image, and the pose the oriole gave you is very appealing. Awesome BG!! Only suggestion I could offer here is a looser composition as I feel the overall bird/flowers cluster a bit tight in the frame (see especially at bottom).
Killer sharp with a great set-up. I too would love to see this framed a bit looser. You have the oranges just perfect.
BIRDS AS ART Blog: great info and lessons, lots of images with our legendary BAA educational Captions; we will not sell you junk. 30+ years of long lens experience/e-mail with gear questions.
BIRDS AS ART Online Store: we will not sell you junk. 35 years of long lens experience. Please e-mail with gear questions.
Check out the new SONY e-Guide and videos that I did with Patrick Sparkman here. Ten percent discount for BPN members,
Nicely framed between the two flowers, and Im glad you didnt cut off the hanging flower. Good job on exposing the blacks, and as Artie mentioned, good job on the orange too. Super pose, sharp, and the two BG looks great.
JIm, another beauty. excellent perch and colors. Lot of good advice above. Loved the pose and the design. What a sweet BG. The green looks a little on the cooler side to me....it can be perfectly natural though :-)
Not an easy shot to achieve, so I hope you don't mind my nitpicking about eye-contact; I would like more. Much good advice above, the best of which is about the tightness of the composition. Good job on the oranges, but the details in the head are just barely discernible.