Black-Capped Chickadee

[Dennis_Plank]

I always like the forms and textures created by winter Himalayan Blackberry thickets and this Chickadee was nice enough to pose in one while we were at Ridgefield on Monday. Unfortunately, the Downy Woodpecker that we originally stopped for didn’t come out very well.

What technical feedback would you like if any?

Any issues with the processing? There is only one minimal clone area as I decided to leave the messy background alone.

What artistic feedback would you like if any?

Does all this clutter work?

Any pertinent technical details:

7Dii, Sigma 150-600 C @ 468mm, beanbag on car window, f/9, 1/1600, iso 1600, manual exposure. I was somewhat underexposed, so I brought this up about 2/3 stop in processing. Cropped from a horizontal original to a 12.5 MP vertical of arbitrary proportions.

You may only download this image to demonstrate post-processing techniques.

[Terri_Barnett (Terri L Barnett)]

I like the composition and great detail on the bird. As to your question, the only part of the clutter that bothers me is the stem sticking straight up from the bird’s head.

[Dennis_Plank]

Thanks, Terri. I didn’t even see that one. I’ll do a fix and repost when I get on the computer.

[Dennis_Plank]

Stick coming out of head removed.