Another confounded Acorn Woodpecker

Image Critiques Avian Critiques
1

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Critique Style Requested: Standard

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

Description

He was probably just showing off while guarding the feeder.

Specific Feedback

All comments welcome!

Technical Details

My usual screenshot won’t load.
Canon R5, 100-500 + 1.4X at 454mm
1/60 sec, ISO 2500, f/9.5.
Very slight global tonal tweaks in LR; into PS for Topaz denoise and a crop to about 50%. Part of the feeder removed on the left.

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2 Likes
2

Up to your usual level! Such a fun and acrobatic pose. I do envy their lack of fear of falling.

3

Diane, besides the great pose you caught with this one, I really like the Ermin colored feathers around the front collar and that gorgeous, and NOT oversaturated red cap. Great lighting in this one.

4

Very nice job on the whites and the reds, Diane. I love the pose and the head turn is super cute.

5

This one’s about the great pose, plus your usual sharpness and clean background.

6

Thanks, @Kris_Smith, @Ed_Williams, @Dennis_Plank and @Allen_Brooks. I hadn’t though about the fear of falling thing but now that I look at it that way, he does seem to have death grip on that branch! Reds (and yellows) can be difficult to process but the first step is in the WB. I almost never use the Saturation slider, and especially not in the desaturate direction. After WB and tonal corrections, colors are controlled in the Color Mixer sliders, and sometimes tweaked in PS with Selective Color.

1 Like
7

The details present in the bill caught my eye and this image is fun to look at. Processing is spot on and I have no nits for you. Awesome photo…Jim

8

Thanks, @Jim_Zablotny! I often wonder if the degree of detail in birds’ bills is an indication of age. Although these guys hatch over several months here, this one was shot in late August and is probably at least a year old. But some of the obvious juvies of several kinds have rugged-looking bills. I need to start paying attention to that.

9

I like texture that was captured in that light. Whenever I photograph sandhills or herons, the type of dirt and debris on the bill adds to the story. Perhaps, this woodpecker has been trying to steal acorns…Jim