Red Crossbill Drinking

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1

-20240724-_A1_0486-Red Crossbill-Edit.jpg
-20240724-_A1_0486-Red Crossbill-Edit.jpg2048×1448 1.93 MB

Critique Style Requested: Standard

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

Description

I posted a long discussion of the experience of photographing this bird in the Avian forum yesterday when I posted an image of it perched in a more natural setting. In it, I mentioned that it came down to the birdbath at little more than minimum focal distance to drink. This image is actually a composite of two images I took of that behavior: one with a sharper head and the other with more reflection.

Specific Feedback

I’m not sure if this is too tight in the frame or not. Unfortunately, I have no more to add to the bottom (bad framing in the originals). I do have a touch more on the left and a fair amount on the right and the top.

Technical Details

Sony A1 FE 200-600 + 1.4 TC @ 840 mm, handheld, f/9, 1/1600, iso 1600 for both images. The first image was cut off just below the eye of the reflection and I combined it with what little extra I had in another image. Other than that, touching up the join, cropping to 6054x4280, removing an out of focus branch on the left and painting over some darker areas at the top of the frame with a low opacity color from lower down. Both shots taken yesterday morning at 7:52 a.m.

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2

Really nice behavioral image. Bright colours and good reflection.
It does seem a little tight in the frame - how about removing that TC 1.4x to back off a bit and give yourself more space to work with? :slight_smile:
I’ve found with the A1, the sharpness is so exceptional and the MP large enough, and the 200-600 a KILLER lens, one can enlarge a lot without sacrificing quality.

4

I like it. Have never seen a crossbill before so it’s nice that you’ve got one near you and skills to show off its feathers like this. The drinking behavior is different and I like the color contrast with the sky reflection. Recently had an incomplete reflection in my Green Heron shot, so I completely understand about that and you could even go a touch further by eliminating what is distorted at the very bottom. What an interesting lone visitor. I wonder why.

5

I love it when composites like this are possible! Wonderful light and feather detail – well done! I love the bit of distortion at the bottom – it is a very nice framing element. I could see a little crop from the right.