Fish Crow in High Key

Fish Crow photographed in – and singing in! – high key. This bird posed nicely for me as it uttered its distinctive Fish Crow caw earlier this week at Fort De Soto at the mouth of Tampa Bay, Florida. Sony a7 III, Sony 100-400mm lens at 394mm. Manual exposure f7.1 at 1/400th, ISO 640.

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Nice look at a bird I don’t recall seeing on NPN before. Good singing pose. You might consider cloning out the nut/bolt and holes on the post. The high key works well.

Charles: the use of high key puts full emphasis on the bird and is a big plus. You might consider cloning out the nut and bolt and filling in the holes in the post. Absolutely excellent otherwise. Richard

The high key approach brings out interesting details in the crow that one normally doesn’t see because they are so black. It also give it a shiny, almost polished appearance. It’s a cool effect and works very well. I agree with others that it would be good to just erase the bolt and the bolt holes on the left post and just leave the barely visible corner edge.

Thanks everyone for your comments. I had intended to clone out the bolt, but my wife, who is a better photographer than I am, said she really liked the way it gave a context for the crow. Guess it depends on how you look at it!

Compromise. Remove the bolt, leave the holes.:grinning:

Excellent pose and use of high key technique, Charles. The details on the crow are phenomenal, particularly the sheen on the feathers. I don’t mind seeing the bolt and holes on the perch. Very nicely done.