American Goldfinch

Gallery: AvianPosted May 31, 2010141 views9 comments

I was able to capture some Goldfinch images between showers this past week. They can often be found tearing apart thistle and feeding on the seeds. Our overcast conditions and rain have me shooting in higher ISO settings then usual but the 7D does a pretty nice job.

Larger version available, thanks for stopping!

canon 7D
canon 600mm f4.L IS USM + 1.4TC
F/5.6 1/250 ISO 1000
auto window beanbag rest

Comments

9 comments

Comment posted by Philip Hodgkins on May 31, 2010 at 4:38 PM

Not too shabby for ISO 1000. I like the simple bg. The detail and the pose of the bird are good and the comp is well balanced. The color of the thistle looks a little weird to me, but it is probably that I have never seen thistles when I was in Washington.

Registered on July 24, 2006, 2741 Posts, 12349 Comments

Comment posted by Oscar Vazquez-Orti on May 31, 2010 at 9:10 PM

Superb shot....nice BG, very sharp, nice comp. Love the angle of the perch.
Seems to be a bit tight on the tail.

Registered on May 4, 2010, 8 Posts, 32 Comments

Comment posted by Sharon Hallowell on May 31, 2010 at 9:39 PM

Wonderful comp and perch. Would like to see if the blacks could be brightened just a tad. Very well done. Sharon

Registered on November 1, 2003, 392 Posts, 4810 Comments

Comment posted by Mitch Moraski on June 1, 2010 at 9:19 AM

Great capture Craig. Love the green BG along side the yellow. Simple BG, tack sharp focus, and a bit of catchlight makes this a winner!! Nice pose as well. Gotta love that soft light!

Registered on August 3, 2008, 105 Posts, 590 Comments

Comment posted by Mia McPherson on June 1, 2010 at 10:38 AM

Craig,

I like the pose of the Goldfinch and how it looks like it is trying to decide to either take flight or stay for a bit. I think you did well for ISO 1000. There seems to be a magenta cast to the legs of the finch and the Teasel it is perched on, and a purple cast on the whites of the finch's ventral area, perhaps a warmer WB adjustment?

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

Comment posted by Kurt Bowman on June 1, 2010 at 10:55 AM

The detail looks good, the bg color is nice and like the perch. Overall, the image seems a bit dark and underexposed to me. I think moving up the exposure (if shot in RAW) a bit would improve it a bit.

Registered on June 19, 2008, 1005 Posts, 8028 Comments

Comment posted by David Sparks on June 1, 2010 at 7:51 PM

Craig:
What others have said: I like the BG, perch and pose. I see the color cast too and agree with the suggestion for selectively increasing the exposure of the dark areas. The BG is so smooth, all the smears on my screen are showing up!

Registered on May 26, 2007, 290 Posts, 4270 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on June 1, 2010 at 10:24 PM

Great composition, Craig. I love the perch.

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

Comment posted by David Chauvin on June 2, 2010 at 7:46 AM

Sweet pose and perch. Ditto on the color cast, but that is easy to deal with.

Registered on August 5, 2004, 1007 Posts, 5595 Comments