Red Crossbill

Gallery: AvianPosted June 25, 2010122 views15 comments

Canon 7D, 500mm + 1.4x TC, monopod.

1/320, f/5.6, ISO 800

Crop to 71% (12.7 of 18MP)

As I mentioned recently, I'm enjoying a new shooting location lately. It allows me to get quite close to the birds, but the vast majority of the available perches are in deep shade when the light is good. However, when the birds take a perch in the sun, some fairly dramatic lighting is possible. Here, this male Red Crossbill found himself in a spotlight. I like the spotlit effect here with the hint of oak leaves in the dark bg, and also the great look at the namesake crossed bill. Sharpness is not perfect, but looks fine to me at this size. No NR.

Comments and critiques are appreciated. Please view larger version if possible.

Comments

15 comments

Comment posted by Michael Lotito on June 25, 2010 at 9:07 PM

Brain,

I really love the lighting in this shot. What an interesting looking bill. Great capture!

Registered on June 26, 2009, 181 Posts, 1558 Comments

Comment posted by Terry Sohl on June 25, 2010 at 9:49 PM

Nicely done, the lighting is quite nice with the dark background.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 513 Posts, 6889 Comments

Comment posted by Stephen on June 25, 2010 at 9:58 PM

Love the perch and lighting on the crossbill, but the background is a bit distracting to me. It seems to have a strange "negative" feel to it like an old negative from a 35mm. Still though, the shot if the bird itself is very good.

Registered on November 11, 2007, 42 Posts, 803 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Ditch on June 25, 2010 at 10:08 PM

Really a neat image. Very nice sharpness, and that light really shows off the unique crossed bill.

I wish this spot was here near me!

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

Comment posted by Darren McKenna on June 25, 2010 at 10:31 PM

Wonderful shot Brian, I like the spot light effect and dark BG.

darrenmckenna.com

Registered on October 28, 2008, 31 Posts, 214 Comments

Comment posted by Angela McCain on June 25, 2010 at 10:42 PM

Nice image. I like the intense blue and green of the background contrasting with the bird. Sharpness looks good on my monitor. Where is this?

Registered on April 19, 2009, 367 Posts, 3589 Comments

Comment posted by Ronnie Gaubert on June 25, 2010 at 11:55 PM

Hi Brian,
What a strange beaks these birds have. It's amazing how some birds evolve to exploit a particular food source. The light is dramatic but a tad bright for my personal taste. I agree it's not tac sharp but plenty good for a web based image. Thanks for posting the large image to let us more accurately critique.
Ronnie G.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 810 Posts, 3495 Comments

Comment posted by Derrick Lipinski on June 26, 2010 at 1:52 AM

Very cool, contrasting colors, Brian. Nicely captured.

Registered on October 5, 2007, 58 Posts, 2039 Comments

Comment posted by John Tobias on June 26, 2010 at 8:27 AM

Good sharp image. I like the way the BG sets off the crossbill. Thanks for sharing.

Registered on September 12, 2009, 2120 Posts, 6455 Comments

Comment posted by Brian Gatlin on June 26, 2010 at 9:52 AM

Thanks for the comments.

Angela, the location is a small man-made waterhole in Kaibab National Forest near Grand Canyon National Park. There are a variety of waterholes out there, some made by pioneers for their livestock, others made more recently by the Forest Service for elk and other wildlife.

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

Comment posted by Laura Stafford on June 26, 2010 at 12:06 PM

Nice composition with off center placement of the bird. Seems well exposed. Background is very nice and reallys sets the bird off. Great job.

Laura Stafford

Registered on November 3, 2009, 52 Posts, 375 Comments

Comment posted by S Govindarajan on June 26, 2010 at 12:12 PM

Wonderful image, Brian! The lighting is phenomenal and the bird is very sharp. The bright crossbill really pops against the dark background. I also like the simple perch and your composition - overall a very nice setting.

I see some noise in the background in the larger version, so perhaps you may want to run a round of NR?

Registered on April 19, 2008, 115 Posts, 1921 Comments

Comment posted by Doug Gilham on June 26, 2010 at 2:54 PM

Great shot Brian, love that bill. Great lighting with a unique bg makes this crossbill pop.

Registered on September 20, 2009, 77 Posts, 489 Comments

Comment posted by Steve Balke on June 27, 2010 at 7:53 AM

Sure is an attention grabbing image, Brian: very interesting bird in a spotlight! The noise level looks good to me, even in the dark area. The light seems a little harsh and I think may conceal some detail. However, as you point out, it is dramatic! Fine pose. Catchlight. Lovely, fitting background.

Registered on June 18, 2009, 229 Posts, 2915 Comments

Comment posted by David Chauvin on June 27, 2010 at 7:40 PM

This is a bit surreal looking with the inky bg and spotlit bird.

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