This bird was pretty buried in a fir tree yesterday, but they’re pretty shy and I have trouble getting them to come out in the open for me. The blowing snow didn’t help with focus either, but it was clear enough in this frame.
Specific Feedback Requested
There’s a very out of focus foreground branch covering part of the side of the bird, which I just left as-is. There’s also that one along the bottom, which I didn’t consider a problem, so I left it as well. Any comments or suggestions are welcome.
Technical Details
Is this a composite: No
Sony A7Riv (new camera-I’m loving the AF), FE200-600 @ 600 mm, gimbal head mounted to blind, f/8, 1/200, iso 1600, manual exposure. Processed in LR & PS CC. Cropped to 8052x5688 from 9504x6336 (insane pixel count). Taken yesterday in blowing snow (plus the stuff coming off the trees from the 14 inches or so of the previous couple of days).
Hi Dennis
It looks like the Northern Flicker is holding on for its live. Nice shot under vary tuff weather condition. The only thing I would consider adding to the shot is some more contrast.
Peter
Nice pose! Yes these birds are extremely shy and it takes very little to scare them away. Glad you are enjoying the new Sony. I agree with Peter about the contrast.
Wonderful catch! A slight move straight in of the dark end of a curve might give a tweak more contrast without messing with the snow. I’d be inclined to crop out the tree trunk on the left. If you haven’t already tried it, the greenish branch in front of the bird might be mitigated with a quick selection with a soft-edged brush and desaturate green there. If it’s more yellow than green, a careful selection might let you tweak the hue, probably with Selective Color.
Hello, Dennis, another great shot - I simply love the wintery feel to the images and the birds that looks a little fluffed because of the cold. The blowing snow may have causing some challenges with the AF, but their presence makes the image for me ! Well done, Hans
