A difficult exposure. The sun was coming from the right and lighting up the Aspen (easy to blow out the whites) with the bird in the shadow. I did what I could to bring out the shadow detail. I liked this for the rich redness on the sapsucker and the pose and the effect the sapsucker had on the tree. My understanding is that they drill these holes that then fill with sap, attracting insects for the bird to eat.
What technical feedback would you like if any? Any
What artistic feedback would you like if any? Any
Pertinent technical details or techniques:
Canon 7DII; Sigma 150-600 at 388; 1/2000 at f6.3, -2/3 EV; ISO 250.
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Hi Allen, the exposure may have been challenging but I would say you nailed it. Everything looks great enlarged…sharpness, detail, and colors. You caught him in a nice pose and I like the way he’s framed between the foreground aspen and background one. Hope to see one some day.
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Nice job on the comp. Detail is superb. This is true Sapaucker habitat. I have a Mountain Ash which has been similarly hospitable to them. They one stuck around a good part of the winter but now it is only a few days.
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Wonderful environmental shot – the difficult lighting makes it more dramatic, which is not easy to pull off. My only nit is that I’d suggest a gradient burn in the UR. Maybe also try to lower contrast on the OOF trunk – sometimes Nik Viveza can give uncanny masking results in a situation like this. But since it echoes the main trunk it isn’t what I’d call a distraction.
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Well done on the environmental shot Allen. I like the nice alert pose watching you closely. The perforated trunk adds a lot to the photo. And good job on a tricky exposure.
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