Dark-Eyed Junco and re-post

I like this for the pose and perch.

Type of Critique Requested

  • Aesthetic: Feedback on the overall visual appeal of the image, including its color, lighting, cropping, and composition.
  • Technical: Feedback on the technical aspects of the image, such as exposure, color, focus and reproduction of colors and details, post-processing, and print quality.

Specific Feedback and Self-Critique

I like the composition, though have some concerns about the background being a bit busy and drawing the eye.

Technical Details

Canon R5; 100-500 at 500 mm. 1/500 at f8; ISO 2500

Juncos are one of my favorites to photograph, Allen and this is an excellent example of why. The background is plenty smooth for me. I do think it might work better as a 4x5 vertical with a tad more room on the top.

1 Like

oh what a cutie. Juncos are so fun to watch and this one gave you a terrific pose. I don’t find the bg too distracting, but I did mess with a few things in Photoshop just for an experiment -

Layer stack -

I thought about blurring the bg more, but decided it looked too weird so I took down the saturation there and added clarity to the bird and the log only. I think this gives the bird a little more presence without looking fake. Hope you don’t mind.

2 Likes

We have a family of Juncos that nest in our backyard every year. I love the little ones. This is terrific Allen. I like the pose, perch and comp. Well done.

1 Like

Great shot of this cute little fuzz ball. I love the fact that the colors in the branch match the Junco. So often the perch can be a distraction but not here. Wonderful image.

1 Like

Hi Allen, nice pose you captured and I like the bird sitting on that small nob. I also like the diagonal perch in the lower corner. I think you might try desaturating the greens in the background.

1 Like

Thanks for the comments and suggestions: @Dennis_Plank , @_Kris , @David_Dunn Bostock, @Steve_Zimic , and @Allen_Sparks . I’ve reworked this based on the suggestions. I like the idea of a vertical crop and I toned down the background to allow more emphasis on the junco.

1 Like

Excellent work on the repost, Allen.

1 Like

Hi Allen, nice one! I have a sweet spot for juncos :wink: … Nice colors, and the pose is also pleasant. The repost looks nice. You may consider using a wider open aperture to give the bg a natural blur for a next shooting. But I like it as presented. Cheers, Hans

1 Like