Cedar waxwing with berry

[Grace Scalzo]

From New Mexico. During one of the days that the refuge was closed, I went to a nearby golf course and found a flock of cedars eating these berries. The challenge was to try and make a pleasing image from the rather cluttered scene. Let me know how I did.

1/2000, f 6.3 ISO400
Canon 1Dmk4, 500 f4 + 1.4tc + handheld

[Bill Jobes]

You did an excellent job creating a pleasing image up against an impossible BG .

I always enjoy seeing the waxwings when they're here in the NE/Mid-Atlantic region.

[Karl Egressy]

I seem to recongnise the berries. I had a Dark-eyed Junco on one of the shrubs during the same perion of time. (HW was closed.)
I kike the picture. the berry in the beak is a great plus, Grace.

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Grace, well done on getting the waxwing with a berry in the beak, and an extra bonus for seeing the tongue too. Yes, the BG is very busy, and what doesnt help is that the many OOF berries are the same colour as the waxwing. If this were mine, I would create a vertical crop, and then try and blur more of the distant BG as possibele. I would try and darken it too, so the subject stands out more from what you have.

[gail bisson]

Hi Grace,
Very nice pose and composition. The busy BG is busy but I am OK with it as it is an environmental shot. I think the fact that the berries are of a similar color to the waxwing that it makes the BG less distracting.
Gail

[Joe Senzatimore]

Making lemonade from lemons again. Well done Grace. I like the idea of a vertical and would be interested to see it that way as well.

[Cheryl Arena Molennor]

Nice angle on the waxwing and the berry is great. I like the soft blue tones

[Robert Holguin]

Wonderful shot. I really like the pose and the berry in its beak. Real nice light and the background is not distracting.
Well done.

[wendell westfall]

Grace, I like it as is . . . the profile is perfect and the tip of yellow on its tail very pretty. I like all the berries in the background. This morning I photoed some waxwings, but none with a berry in its beak . . . perhaps tomorrow. My little guys seemed to flit constantly.

[Kaustubh Deshpande]

Yep...excellent. Long focal length is very useful( and much much better than getting close) in these situations. Loved the comp and BG..except that white patch...you couldn't have done anything.

[dankearl]

It looks like a nice postcard to me.
It sort of has a cold northern winter feel, not New Mexico.
The IQ is great as usual. I like the BG.

[Daniel Cadieux]

It sort of has a cold northern winter feel, not New Mexico.

That's what I was thinking too!! I like the image, and I like the numerous berries in the BG. It's a very nice habitat image. The one thing that bothers me a bit though is the distant large bright white OOF patch in the BG...if you can tone that down that would strenghten the overall feel of the image IMO. Very well done considering the conditions.

[Grace Scalzo]

Thanks for your comments and suggestions. That white patch was snow, an easy fix to tone it down. Hard to believe it was NM, but it was.

[Manjeet & Yograj Jadeja]

Excellent composition