Critique Style Requested: Standard
The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Fighting over a perch in the fog.
Z9, Z100-400, 560mm, ISO 8000, f/6.3, 1/1250 sec.
My first time using the pre-release capture feature on the Z9. Only available for JPEG. Any experience with this feature?
Topaz AI. LRC for cropping and basic sliders.
I love pre-burst capture and you’ve done really well with it here. Such a perfect positioning and a “little did he know” kind of vibe. I’ve used the feature on my G9 with RAW files since it’s available and it’s perfect for the kind of thing our reflexes are too slow for. Bird take offs are a prime example. You could add a bit more room at the top if you wanted and a tad saturation wouldn’t go amiss. What a spectacular photo.
Wow, Daniel! 
Very nice indeed!
I can’t advise on the pre-release capture feature on the Z9, but there are a few other Nikon shooters here. I’ve been a Sony mirrorless guy for many years so that’s about all I know.
As for the hummingbirds fighting over the perch, we have a few here that fight over which feeder they are going to guard from each other. We have a feeder on each end of the porch and there’s a virtual line that neither are suppose to cross, if one does, the fight is on!! 
I think this shot is great! It’s awesome that you managed to get such a still set of wings with only 1/1250s, hummingbird wings are super fast, this must be at the top of a stroke.
And the way the tail is fanned out is excellent! Great colors, great details and the DOF is spot on!
Just great timing and composition!
If you’re wanting sharp stop action on the wings, maybe the next time around it will be a little brighter out so you can try a higher shutter speed for wing captures, but, it’s rare to get sharp stop action even at 1/8000s on hummingbirds unless you’re using a high speed flash setup.
I actually like the slightly blurred wings myself (like you have in this shot).
Well done, Daniel!
WOW!! This is wonderful! The wing blur is well-concealed with the angle; the tail is fantastic as is the DOF and detail! The BG is also very pleasant. I don’t have time to download just now and have a closer look, but I think you might have a look at raising the brightness just a bit (holding contrast in the process) and maybe remove the broken top of the perch. But I’m humbled to suggest anything as this is just such a wonderful capture! It has a very pleasant soft light that I’d hate to mess up.)
Wonderful image, Dan. Too bad Nikon limited that feature to jpeg, but if you have your settings right (and a bit of fog is great light for that) you can get just as good a results as you would with a RAW image. I’m jealous because Sony still hasn’t implemented it and it has to be nothing but a software upgrade.
I’m guessing this is a pretty large crop as I am seeing a plumage look that feels like the sort of thing you get with large crops on jpeg images, but it’s not bad at all and the action makes it irrelevant.
I see what Kris is talking about with the saturation , but you would lose the soft feeling created by the fog. To me, that’s strictly interpretation on your part and either way is fine.
Thanks for the comments and suggestion from everyone. I am looking forward to usin more of this technique for bird take offs.
Did you find the nest at Niqually last evening?
Afraid not. We got too wound up in trying to find the owls. The young had fledged and were branching. It was very tough to see them let alone get a decent image. However, I saw others at the hummingbird nest, so I know where to go look for it and it’s just a half hour drive for me.
The owls were too much of a reach for my equipment. I did get some decent shots of great horned owls in the nest at Malheur two weeks ago. Lucky you are so close to Niqually.
Dan
Very nice image Dan. Great to get both in equal focus. Good suggestions given above. My Canon R7 has the pre-capture feature as well. I think I will try it on butterflies flying off flowers this summer. Nice frame.
What a beautiful capture! I think you did very well with focus too. I don’t have much else to add.
Thanks for sharing!
What a nice action shot, and a well-deserved EP ! Cheers, Hans
