Stellers Jay

[Craig Roberts]

I took this image in early morning light at Petersberg, Alaska last May, 2011. Handheld and cropped about 30%. Feedback appreciated.

Camera: Canon 5D MK ll
Lens: 70-200mm f2.8, 1.4 TC
Aperture: f8
Shutter: 1/200
ISO: 200

[P-A. Fortin]

Nice image of a lovely bird. Can't wait to see one, although sitting in Eastern Canada, this won't happen soon unless I get to travel to the West again.

I like the detail in the black feathers. Exposure looks bang on to me. Did you go manual? Or else, what kind of metering did you use?

2 points that would improve the image in my humble opinion:
- Since you mention you cropped the image, I would try a different crop with the bird lower in the frame. I would roughly cut the "toe to bottom" distance by 50%
- Did you sharpen the image in your post processing? The image seems to have potential to be sharper, and it would definitely improve it.

Good job.

[John Chardine]

Really nice Craig. Lots of interest in the post, head angle and eye contact. I agree with P.-A. on the crop. The subject is a little tight in the frame. I like the morning light but it does look bright (nice clear Alaskan air?!). Birds that show a plumage sheen and ones that produce structural colour like this species tend to show better in softer, indirect light.

[Craig Roberts]

P-A and John
Thank you for the feedback. I used evaluative metering. Will adjust the crop and up the sharpening a bit. This is a wonderful site and I appreciate the dedication and time you folks put in to helping us improve our photography skills. I was on an Alaskan fishing trip last spring and the Stellers jays arrived early every morning looking for handouts before we went out on the river.
Craig

[Kerry Perkins]

Hi Craig, welcome to Eager To Learn. We are happy to have you here. I thank you for your service to the birds and wildlife in Montana and I would love to visit your area soon! I need to get to YNP again...

Nice capture and good feedback given above. In this situation I would have opted for a wider aperture, higher ISO, and the resulting higher shutter speed for a bit more sharpness. The IS on your lens is very good (I have this lens and love it), but I will do anything for the highest shutter speed possible as I believe that the sharpest images are made this way. Exposure is a bit hot, agree with John on that - you could gain even more SS with a slightly lower EV. Color rendition looks good. I might tone down the bright spots on the bird's head. Look forward to more!