Feeding time

Critique Style Requested: Standard

The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.

Description

a robin pair built a nest in a tree right outside of my kitchen window. The nest was fairly open, I was pleased that I could photograph it as is. I would not remove any twigs or branches around the nest. I was able to record the activity at the nest until the young had fledged.

Specific Feedback

How well I was able to reduce the obstructions around the nest. The contrast between the adult birds and the chicks was handled.

Technical Details

*During the time I was able to photograph these birds I used 3 different Canon cameras. This shot was taken with the 80D and a lens set at 170mm. Exposure was 1/320 @ F-5 ISO 800. I used a tripod.


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Given your constrained shooting angle, this looks pretty darn good, John. It does look like someone clipped a few small twigs in the area, but it could have been some time earlier. My only real issue is with whoever put that vertical red stripe behind the nest! The adult and chicks are very well exposed and all are nice and sharp.

Dennis,
Thank you for your comments. The red stripe is actually on the house across the street. No trimming was done once the birds stated nest building. I did hae to remove on small limb after a wind storm left it hanging where it could hit the branch the nest was on. Thanks again for taking the time to comment.
John
tobias

Hi John, a fine moment captured. Love seeing the chicks rising up to get the treat the adult is offering. Gives us a sense of peering through the branches to see the nesting activity. Too bad about the red stripe but my focus mainly stays on the birds anyway. TFS

I took a stab at taking out the red stripe by using the remove tool in Photoshop. Here is what I came up with:

Hi, John - great to see you posting! Really nice capture of this little family. Robins seem to be cooperative most of the time, and I’m glad you had the chance to follow this group til chickies fledged. The feeding action is wonderful, with the chicks stretching toward the mom. I’d personally remove the stuff around mom’s beak for a clearer view, but this is cool as is.