The photographer is looking for thoughtful feedback on the image as a whole, especially around the areas noted below.
caught this jay in a calm moment. usually much more active.
composition supports quiet moment challenge. colors
I like the composition John with the bird surrounded by the Fall leaves and placed to the right of the frame (I could see a further crop from the right to remove some of the bare branches). Nice head turn - love the glance our way.
Good capture, John. I like the pose/head turn and the fall colors framing the jay. I could see a tighter crop. I played around in PS and also brightened the jay, though this might work better lifting the shadows a bit in LR. Just a thought for an alternative look, though I do like this as presented. One of my favorite birds to see when I’m back east.
Processing example based on the original image:
Nice to see you posting, John. I really like the fall palette and the Jay is definitely resting quietly. I like @Allen_Brooks idea of brightening the jay a touch. Even though it’s backlit, the brightness of the leaves will let you get away with it and bring out some of that glorious blue. I could also see something of a vertical crop for this to eliminate the bright band on the left side.
[Crop] eliminate the bright band on the left while still maintaining the flal color theme
