American Robin

Critique Style Requested: Standard

The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.

Description

Occasionally one will visit the Hawthorn where I lurk for Waxwings. They don’t stay long and only occasionally grant a photo op. This one was there about 3 seconds and didn’t look my way, but I’ll take what I can get. The berries have been eaten enough by now that there are some clear spots. It was a solid mass two weeks ago.

Technical Details

Screenshot 2023-12-09 at 9.37.52 AM

Full frame with a tiny bit added on the left. Minor BG softening in a few places and sharpening on the head, which was just out of the focal plane with no time to adjust.

4 Likes

Great pose and comp, Diane. Love the background too. These guys are so prolific here in the PNW that we often don’t even stop to photograph them. Too bad because they really are beautiful.

Cheers,
David

Though a common bird, Robins are quite attractive and you’ve shown this well with good detail. Yes, a slight head turn would have been nice. I like the composition with the berries framing the robin and the background is pleasing.

Very nice, Diane. Excellent detail in the robin and almost all the berries ended up in focus-quite an accomplishment. While the head turn would have been nice, this shows that the bird is concentrating on something besides you-a nice change of pace from so many of our images.

Hi Diane, nice details on the bird and we can see the eye well enough to maintain interest. Nice composition with the bird surrounded by all those berries.

Winter plumage robins have that nice gray edging to the feathers which you have captured very well. Wish for a better head turn, but still a nice photo…Jim

Many thanks, @David_Bostock , @Allen_Brooks, @Dennis_Plank, @Allen_Sparks and @Jim_Zablotny! I think one year I caught a Robin with a berry – I’ll have to go look.

Hello, Diana, excellent colors throughout the image, which fits the bird very nicely. I also like that it’s a ‘light’ image. Ideally your POV would have been a bit higher, or the bird turned downward a bit. A bird from below and looking up itself is not ideal. Would you have a bit more room in the original image ? Other than that fine a presented ! Cheers, Hans

Thanls, @Hans_Overduin! No more room unless I add canvas, which I did just a bit on the left. I got the entire tail, but the tip was very close to the edge. If he had stayed after I got an initial shot I would have zoomed back a bit, but he didn’t stay. A few days later I got one with a berry – I’ll post it when I find time. But also not the ideal pose. They are not common on this tree.

1 Like