A lower iso image. BG was shaded and it was cloudy. from my open bedroom window
Specific Feedback Requested
is BG too dark?
Technical Details
Is this a composite: No
iso 250, 400 plus 1.4X, f6.3, 1250th, Sony A1
2 Likes
Nice portrait, David. I love these birds. Although they do tend to settle on the flashing around my chimney and rat-a-tat-tat at 4 am… 
Wow, what a great close-up look. The enlarged view shows very fine feather detail.
A lovely up-close portrait with great detail and good background.
I wonder if you would consider lowering the contrast on the background and raising the Shadows just a tad.
Superb detail in the feathers, David. It looks as though he’s been working hard. I like Glennie’s treatment of the background, but the increased exposure of the bird makes the eye look funky. Also, it’s just not that bright up here most of the time.
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Really nice portrait David! Great details, it’s better than a lot of bird Id guides out there! I don’t think the background is too dark, l think it’s realistic for the Northwest like @Dennis_Plank said!
I do think the BG could be lightened a bit – maybe something in between the OP and @glennie’s version. But I’d leave the bird as it was in the OP, as much as I could make it fit with a lighter BG – just a little lighter. Darker may be authentic to your weather up there lately, but the general viewer has no idea of that context.
We have one hanging out near our bedroom and it gets up before we do and starts drumming. It has proved impossible to photograph, under a deck roof with backlight, and very skittish.