Ruffed Grouse Crossing the Trail

Image Critiques Avian Critiques
1

WatertonRuffdGrouse.jpg
WatertonRuffdGrouse.jpg2000×1487 1.09 MB

Critique Style Requested: Standard

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

Description

We got a brief look at this ruffed grouse crossing the trail at Waterton Lakes NP in Alberta, Canada a couple weeks back on our hike to the East side of Middle Waterton Lake. It didn’t stay around long. As we continued up the trail after it crossed, it exploded out of the brush on the side where it had been hidden and flew over the trail in front of us.

Specific Feedback

The trail was not terribly attractive, the OOF brush in front of the bird is not terribly attractive. I probably would not have posted this except this is a very rare and unusual bird for me to get to see. It definitely would have been better had I not had been using f22 to shoot long photos of mountain landscapes on a telephoto zoom just before we saw this bird.

Technical Details

Canon R5, f22, 1/800 sec, iso 3200, 100-500/1.4TC at 700 mm.

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2

I think your self-critique on this one is right on, Ed. You did get nice eye contact and I certainly don’t mind the foreground grasses, but I suspect it would have looked better with a shallower depth of field and that could have given you a higher shutter speed. It looks as if it were fluffing a bit as you shot and there’s just a hint of motion blur in the plumage (but the catchlight is nice and round so the head was fairly still).

I’d say you did very well for a grab shot of this bird. All of my encounters with them have been either cameraless or typical of your second encounter.

3

Thank you @Dennis_Plank. I appreciate your feedback. I thought about you as I drove through the Seattle area last week.

4

Hi Ed, nice grab shot and I also agree with your critique. Nice to catch a glimpse of this bird and get a shot.

5

Thanks @Allen_Sparks.