Red-breasted Meadowlark & Repost

Image Critiques Avian Critiques
1

Repost:

-20240220-_A1_3341-Costa Rica-ARW-Edit-2
-20240220-_A1_3341-Costa Rica-ARW-Edit-22048×1532 1.58 MB

Original:

-20240220-_A1_3341-Costa Rica-ARW-Edit.jpg
-20240220-_A1_3341-Costa Rica-ARW-Edit.jpg1514×2048 1.88 MB

Critique Style Requested: Standard

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

Description

Not the greatest perch, but the only other one I got was on barbed wire and not as close. This bird used to be called the Red-breasted Blackbird, so you can find references to it under both names. Xeno-canto, the bird song sharing site, still has it listed under the Blackbird name.

I had a choice on the morning I shot this to go after it or to go to a King Vulture blind. I’d been to the vulture blind on my previous trip and my wife is a Meadowlark fanatic, so the choice was pretty obvious.

While these look a lot like meadowlarks, their call is two notes followed by a long buzz-not at all musical!

Specific Feedback

I’m not sure about the composition. I could go to a horizontal and cut off a great deal of the post. I have plenty of canvas.

Technical Details

Sony A1, FE 200-600 + 1.4 TC @ 840 mm, monopod, f/9, 1/500, iso 4000. Pre-processing with DxO PureRaw 4, processing in LR & PS CC. Cropped to 2960x4004 from a horizontal original. Taken February 20th at 10:18 a.m. with light rain.

2

Dennis, a beautiful bird. Too bad he dosn’t sing like a meadowlark.

I tried downloading it and darkening the post and then using gausian blur to soften it just a bit. Then I did a horizontal crop. I hesitate to share it for the master to see but this is what I got.

-20240220-_A1_3341-Costa Rica-ARW-Edit
-20240220-_A1_3341-Costa Rica-ARW-Edit1340×1098 318 KB

3

I like what you did with it, Barbara, particularly darkening the post. I’ll have to play with this one some more.

4

Thanks. I am always hesitant when I redo someone else’s image.

5

A repost taking into account @Barbara_Djordjevic comments.

6

I like it.

7

Hi Dennis, I like the horizontal composition Barbara suggested which puts less of the large perch in the frame. Nice singing behavior and the exposure looks good. Fine BG and nice to have some rain drops.