# Tom Stepping

**URL:** <https://community.naturephotographers.network/t/tom-stepping/39433>\
**Category:** Image Critiques\
**Tags:** birds\
**Created:** [February 1, 2024, 3:45pm UTC](https://community.naturephotographers.network/t/tom-stepping/39433 "2024-02-01T15:45:04Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Dave\_Douglass](https://assets.naturephotographers.network/user_avatar/community.naturephotographers.network/dave_douglass/32/5332_2.png) [@Dave\_Douglass](https://community.naturephotographers.network/u/Dave_Douglass)\
**Post date:** [February 1, 2024, 3:45pm UTC](https://community.naturephotographers.network/t/tom-stepping/39433/1 "2024-02-01T15:45:04Z")

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![TOM.jpg](https://images.naturephotographers.network/original/3X/2/7/27b2867f7477ed7f37e4e5a6fe3e2e2bff12a7ce.jpeg)

> **Critique Style Requested:** _Standard_
> 
> The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.

### Description

We get turkeys coming thru our backyard pretty regularly and it’s always nice to see, and shoot the toms showing off. (I just read that these guys have 4 to 5 thousand feathers!)

### Specific Feedback

Cropping? This guy was not far away so he filled up the frame for a bit of a tight crop which I’m okay with for getting to scrutinize his amazing feather textures.

### Technical Details

Z9, 180-600 lens, Nikon 1.4 TC, monopod, 1/1000th, f 9.0, 340mm, ISO 14400, cropped to 5949 x 5170

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**Author:** ![Dennis\_Plank](https://assets.naturephotographers.network/user_avatar/community.naturephotographers.network/dennis_plank/32/27033_2.png) [@Dennis\_Plank](https://community.naturephotographers.network/u/Dennis_Plank)\
**Post date:** [February 1, 2024, 3:52pm UTC](https://community.naturephotographers.network/t/tom-stepping/39433/2 "2024-02-01T15:52:18Z")

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The crop works fine for me, Dave. You might play with darkening the background a bit and definitely bring down those foreground leaves as they are bright enough to really pull the eye.

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**Author:** ![Ed\_Williams](https://assets.naturephotographers.network/user_avatar/community.naturephotographers.network/ed_williams/32/65698_2.png) [@Ed\_Williams](https://community.naturephotographers.network/u/Ed_Williams)\
**Post date:** [February 1, 2024, 5:18pm UTC](https://community.naturephotographers.network/t/tom-stepping/39433/3 "2024-02-01T17:18:05Z")

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Wow! Dave the detail here is excellent. I think the surrounding greens really make “Tom” stand out in this. Great shot. It is a bit tight, but that just accentuates the bird. You should put this in this weekly challenge for an unusual composition.

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**Author:** ![Allen\_Brooks](https://assets.naturephotographers.network/user_avatar/community.naturephotographers.network/allen_brooks/32/390_2.png) [@Allen\_Brooks](https://community.naturephotographers.network/u/Allen_Brooks)\
**Post date:** [February 2, 2024, 6:13pm UTC](https://community.naturephotographers.network/t/tom-stepping/39433/4 "2024-02-02T18:13:33Z")

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Beautiful look at the tom and with the leg position he’s really strutting his stuff. I’d play around with Dennis’s suggestions and see how it looks to you.

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**Author:** ![Allen\_Sparks](https://assets.naturephotographers.network/user_avatar/community.naturephotographers.network/allen_sparks/32/63507_2.png) [@Allen\_Sparks](https://community.naturephotographers.network/u/Allen_Sparks)\
**Post date:** [February 4, 2024, 7:09pm UTC](https://community.naturephotographers.network/t/tom-stepping/39433/5 "2024-02-04T19:09:38Z")

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Great image of this turkey. What a brilliant bird so well rendered. I could see adding a tad of space on left and top if no distractions came into play. A fine catch either way.