Northern Cardinal

Gallery: AvianPosted February 9, 2010107 views12 comments

Shot this at the feeder as we dug out from 38 inches of snow......18 more tonight. Guess I'll be shooting the feeders ubtil spring:)
Model: NIKON D3
Firmware: Adobe Photoshop CS3 Macintosh
Lens (mm): 850
ISO: 200
Aperture: 6.7
Shutter: 1/1000
Exp. Comp.: -1.0

Comments

12 comments

Comment posted by Cheryl Molennor on February 9, 2010 at 1:08 PM

Thats some really pretty light and I like his expression as well as detail on the face.. I just wish for a tad more room by the tail

Registered on June 30, 2009, 300 Posts, 5051 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on February 9, 2010 at 1:23 PM

I love that moody bg, Douglas. A different low key look to this bird than usual, and one I like.

Registered on January 28, 2008, 1767 Posts, 23192 Comments

Comment posted by Ed Dubois on February 9, 2010 at 1:57 PM

I like the light and the BG Douglas.

I too would like a little more room by the tail and would either crop, clone out or darken the bright bit of twig in the lower left corner. Also, the reds on the neck particularly look blown to me. Selectively desaturating them would help.

Registered on February 22, 2005, 129 Posts, 4739 Comments

Comment posted by Sally King on February 9, 2010 at 2:59 PM

I really like the nice headturn he gave you. I too would love a bit more room by the tail. Nice feather details.

Registered on December 2, 2008, 416 Posts, 4450 Comments

Comment posted by Monica Siri on February 9, 2010 at 3:29 PM

Douglas,
nice head turn, color and background. Nicely done.

Registered on September 20, 2009, 132 Posts, 3764 Comments

Comment posted by Ken Archer on February 9, 2010 at 3:56 PM

Sweet one Doug!!! Great catch light! Hang in there with all that wintery whiteness.

Ken Archer

Registered on October 28, 2004, 222 Posts, 6683 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Bielefeld on February 9, 2010 at 4:48 PM

Doug, I like the overall feel of this image. the light is nice and the bird is sharp. A bit more room for the tail would be nice. The BG is interesting, what is it exactly? Just curious. Cheers.

Registered on December 6, 2008, 360 Posts, 7132 Comments

Comment posted by Mia McPherson on February 9, 2010 at 5:11 PM

Doug, I like the over all feel of this image too, I believe that is mostly due to the pose and the light on the front of the bird.

Registered on June 25, 2007, 491 Posts, 12566 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Ditch on February 9, 2010 at 6:22 PM

Very pleasing image. It has a strong mod that I like a lot,both from the light and also from the cardinal's position and posture.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 1031 Posts, 12705 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Dudley on February 9, 2010 at 7:51 PM

Generally I'm not an officionado of male Cardinal images - they're just a bit too garish for my tastes but I love the effect of the relatively subdued light on this one Douglas. The only thing I'd wish for here is a little more room at bottom for the tail. I like this a lot.

Registered on March 30, 2007, 437 Posts, 10915 Comments

Comment posted by Douglas Graham on February 9, 2010 at 8:36 PM

There is more room at the bottom and I see what everyone is talking about. I did a poor job cropping and will go back to the RAW file before archiving. The BG is two evergreens covered in snow with dark clouds moving across the mountain as the storm broke up. The point of view is looking up at the sky with the vary tops of the trees showing.

Registered on May 14, 2009, 123 Posts, 522 Comments

Comment posted by Brian Gatlin on February 10, 2010 at 7:46 AM

Douglas, I love the light on this shot. this is a beauty. I might clone out the bit of branch in the lower left.

Registered on March 21, 2009, 202 Posts, 4187 Comments