Trying to look pretty

[dadas115]

I found this female Dickcissel yesterday afternoon who had hopped up on top of a bush in response to a vocal male in a neighboring bush. She didn’t hang around very long after I started clicking but I did manage to pull this shot out.

Equipment used was a Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT and EF 500mm f/4.5L USM.

When shooting this image I tried to get level with the bird to have a nicer background. I was sitting in my car when she first appeared and the background was a completely blown-out overcast sky. Getting out of the car for a higher angle was quite a trial since in my past experience these birds spook easily but slow careful movement paid off. Though the bird doesn’t occupy a very large portion of the frame I decided to leave the composition as it is since I find the plant/perch to be pleasing. I was a bit disappointed with how the tail is a bit disheveled and uncomfortable looking.

The settings were ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/400 second, hand-held

I stopped down a bit for DOF and adjusted the ISO in order to get a manageable shutter speed.

Looking forward to any comments or suggestions,

Greg

[Seb]

I found this female Dickcissel yesterday afternoon who had hopped up on top of a bush in response to a vocal male in a neighboring bush. She didn’t hang around very long after I started clicking but I did manage to pull this shot out.

Equipment used was a Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT and EF 500mm f/4.5L USM.

When shooting this image I tried to get level with the bird to have a nicer background. I was sitting in my car when she first appeared and the background was a completely blown-out overcast sky. Getting out of the car for a higher angle was quite a trial since in my past experience these birds spook easily but slow careful movement paid off. Though the bird doesn’t occupy a very large portion of the frame I decided to leave the composition as it is since I find the plant/perch to be pleasing. I was a bit disappointed with how the tail is a bit disheveled and uncomfortable looking.

The settings were ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/400 second, hand-held

I stopped down a bit for DOF and adjusted the ISO in order to get a manageable shutter speed.

Looking forward to any comments or suggestions,

Greg

Greg, I am not a wildlife expert (quite contrarily!) but I really love what you have done here. There is a fine luminosity in the colors and I like how you have used the leafs as a base for the picture. If I wanted to be picky, I'd say that I would feel better if the tail of the bird was less hidden but then, I am not convinced that I would have noticed it by myself if you haven't pointed out the issue first.

Seb

[Coastal Flyer]

This is just a fine photo. I really like the colors, the blending of the background, the sharpness..., it is just outstanding. Very nice job!

CF