Lesser Goldfinch with salad + repost

What technical feedback would you like if any?

What artistic feedback would you like if any?

All comments welcome!

Pertinent technical details or techniques:

(If backgrounds have been removed, etc. please be honest with your techniques to help others learn)

We had been wondering what sort of large bug was eating the sunflower leaves, then we noticed…

Canon 5D4, Canon 600 f/4 + 1.4X, ISO 1600, f/13, 1/200 sec, tripod. Just some minor cloning on the leaf for distracting elements. Topaz denoise and sharpening but hardly noticeable at this size. BG is distant trees. Soft light is from morning fog.

70% of the original frame – slight crop from both sides to balance visual weight, as there was only empty BG on the left.

If you would like your image to be eligible for a feature on the NPN Instagram (@NaturePhotoNet), add the tag ‘ig’ and leave your Instagram username below.
1 Like

In my opinion, David, this is an excellent shot. That background makes the bird stand out nicely, and I love that he is standing on a leaf. The details are very nice.

Just looking back and realized I called you David, Diane! Sorry about that. Not sure how I managed to goof that up.

Good detail and pose against a pleasing background.

Great behavior and a fine image, Diane. We’ve only had one of these in the last 15 years I’ve lived here, but our American goldfinches and Pine Siskins both eat leaves now and then, particularly in the spring. This one looks particularly voracious.

Thanks everyone! It was voracious – in 2-3 weeks it completely defoliated a medium-sized lone seedling that came up under the feeders. (It may have had help but we never saw more than one at a time, and always a male.)

Excellent color and detail with a pleasant clean BG. I think you could have left this full frame with the bird centrered.

@David_Schoen, I think it was the bird’s apparent chubbiness that suggested the aspect ratio, along with the lack of interest in the distant BG. Here’s the raw frame for comparison. It could certainly work, with minor cleanup in the LR.

Lovely shot, Diane and no nits from me. Seeing the re-post I would suggest, should your ethics allow to add some canvas to the left, to get a more balanced image. Could work very well, as I prefer including the leaves. Cheers, Hans

I like the detail, pose and lovely colors. Well done. I like Hans’s idea of adding a bit on left on repost photo. Interesting behavior.

If there was some visual weight on the left, such as some OOF detail, I would feel that adding even more canvas there could balance the visual weight on the right, but just negative space?? Does that work?

Hi Diane,

Repost is good and much better than the original. Details are nice including the filoplumes visible on the bird’s back. Well done…Jim

@Hans_Overduin and @David_Leroy, here is the original frame with more added on the left, and some cleanup of the leaf on the right. This is feeling like too much empty space to me but I am liking @David_Schoen’s suggestion of the balance of the full frame as captured.

Nope, I like it, for my taste not too much empty space :grinning: . Cheers, Hans