Another Steller's Jay

Image Critiques Avian Critiques
1

There’s a family of five or six Steller’s Jays that come to our feeder in the fall, winter and spring, but disappear during the summer. Not sure where they go, but must be nesting.
My own critique would be that the head feathers seem soft and noisy compared to the rest of the Jay. The perch is a bit too horizontal for my taste. Not usually crazy about butt shots, but in this case it does show off the nice blue colors and there is a nice head turn. I like the background.

What technical feedback would you like if any? Any

What artistic feedback would you like if any? Any

Pertinent technical details or techniques:

Canon 7DII; Sigma 150-600 at 302mm; 1/320 at f5.6. ISO 640.

Steller's%20Jay-2110-Edit
Steller's%20Jay-2110-Edit2309×2886 1.3 MB

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2 Likes
2

Oh wow, Allen, he is beautiful and you have presented him well. I have no problems with the butt shot because he gave you a nice head turn, and it shows off the colors, which are gorgeous. I like the perch. You and Dennis keep showing off these Steller Jays, and it is enough to make one want to move to the west coast to enjoy these beauties. I have never seen one, so assuming they are more of a west coast bird.

3

Great capture, Allen. I’ve never seen a Steller’s Jay myself, but do get a lot of Blue Jays at my feeders.

I really like the contrasting, analogous colors. The butt shot works here, especially to highlight those amazing tail feathers. Wonderfully captured!

For my own curiosity, was this image cropped? I’d be curious to see some more of that interesting Lichen on the perch.

4

A nice shot of the Steller’s Jay, Allen. I tend to agree with your critique. For this large a bird, even at 300 mm, f/5.6 is going to result is a relatively shallow depth of field that won’t cover the full depth of this pose. You put the focal plane in about the best place you could so you have good sharpness from the face to the butt. Crest feathers on this species are pretty fluffy, so they never look super sharp. I like the background and while the horizontal perch might not be the optimum, it certainly has enough character to make up for that.

5

Thanks for the comments. @Shirley_Freeman: Yes, the Steller’s is pretty much west of the rockies, perhaps the western version of your Blue Jay, also a beautiful bird and one I was thrilled to see last time I was back east. @ChrisNoronhaPhoto: The photo was cropped, but most of the lichen made it into the crop.

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Allen: I think this is very nice. Love the back side pose to show off the plumage. I wish for more room all the way around.

7

Nice photo a the Steller Feller. You captured the scolding attitude that they always give you, which I think is essential on a bird that is perched. Nice detail on the bird and the branch. Good bokeh…yes I still like a good bokeh. Minor detail, but I might tone down the orange in the background.

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