This was shot within a few minutes of the sun coming over the horizon on a very cold eastern Oregon morning. These sparrows (immature White-crowned and mature Gold-crowned) sat here for 10 minutes. I am assuming they were warming up. I shot this on Auto WB, but am wondering about the yellow cast. I want to convey the early morning sun and the birds waiting to warm themselves, but is this too much?
The shot was cropped significantly from the bottom and R to remove an OOF bird and branch. Otherwise minimal processing; Topaz DN.
Shot with a 5D4, 600 mm f/4, ISO 800, 1/640, f/8.
The lighting is beyond fantastic! It might be a bit yellow, but not more that I'd chalk up to personal preference. I've never achieved direct eye contact from three birds at the same instant, so this is a rare and memorable result despite the confounding influence of the perch. Nicely done.
Thanks everyone. Sometimes it is a question of what I remember about a shot versus what "looks" the best. I remember this one well; super cold morning sitting in a pop up blind. By the way, this shot is entered in a local contest that prohibits cloning. On the shot I had printed, I cloned out the upper center branch and the OOF branch in the lower center.