The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
I have been very busy with work and sick pets which prevented me from doing anything with the camera for a while. I did manage to spend a few minutes at a local park and managed to snag a few shots of tree sparrows and juncos. This particular lens has remarkable sharpness and was forced to shoot with a wide aperture to compensate for weak lighting. Under normal circumstances, I would prefer using f8-f11 to get more of the body within focus.
Specific Feedback
This is a simple, artistic comp with 3 elements. What do you think about the vertical stick? I do not find it objectionable in this type of shot.
Technical Details
Z9 180-400mm f4 + 1.4x TC engaged at 560mm (1/200 sec at f5.6, ISO 1250, handheld) DeNoise, Clarity, bump up in temperature, slight crop for comp.
Critique Template
Use of the template is optional, but it can help spark ideas.
This looks very nice, Jim. The vertical stick doesn’t bother me-it feels almost like a border that close to the edge.
You mentioned that you would have preferred more depth of field-any real reason for holding the iso to what many of us living int the gloomy corner of the country would consider a low value these days?
Wonderful capture! I think the vertical stick is fine as it is echoed by the lovely OOF trunk/branch on the left and a fainter one on the right. Very nice degree of detail in the BG, by my reckoning. And lovely colors there that echo the bird’s colors and the perch.
I doubt any aperture could have gotten the tail in focus. The bird is so gorgeous that no one should notice the tail, but I might be tempted to tone down the white stripe along its near edge to make it a bit less noticeable.
Great look at the sparrow-good facial and wing detail and I like the complementary background. I’d be tempted to crop at 5x4 and leave in the part of the small branch below the perch.
Hi Jim
I think the framing is great, my eye went right to the Sparrow. The tail feather is soft, but my went to the Sparrow’s head turn and eye contact. It all work for me.
Peter
A lovely little bird captured so well with a beautiful matching background as well. The colours are just wonderful.
The OOF tail is certainly not a problem for me. In fact, all my bird images are shot wide open at f6.3. If the eyes are sharp, the rest will fall into place pretty much how my eyes see the subject.
I love the shot and the composition and placement of the sparrow. The vertical stick does not bother me at all. It helps that it is behind the bird. Any other place in the frame and it might be a problem. Frankly, lately I have been allowing more and more of the environment to be included in my bird images rather than tight crops. Gives context to the bird and its habitat and often prompts a story behind the image. Great job!
