Western Wood-Pewee

Gallery: AvianPosted September 1, 2010121 views15 comments

This one is from a couple of weeks ago. I like the alert upright posture that is so characteristic of pewees. I wonder how the composition feels to people? For me it seems a little off balance, with the weight of the perch at left and the bird at right.

Your comments and critiques are appreciated. Please view the larger version if possible.

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

1/800, f/6.3, ISO 500. Natural light.

Crop to 50% (9 of 18MP)--from horizontal to vertical.

Comments

15 comments

Comment posted by Luke Ormand on September 1, 2010 at 9:12 PM

Sweet light, detail and sharpness

Registered on February 4, 2009, 1093 Posts, 7035 Comments

Comment posted by Ronnie Gaubert on September 1, 2010 at 9:29 PM

Hi Brian,
Nice light and good details. I like the background and perch also. Wonderful image.

Ronnie G.

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

Comment posted by denise ippolito on September 1, 2010 at 9:38 PM

The BG, pose and sharp details are wonderful.

Registered on December 17, 2009, 202 Posts, 1529 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on September 1, 2010 at 11:01 PM

The comp in general doesn't bother me Brian, but the large oof base of the perch does seem to draw my eye a bit. I'm not sure if it's the massiveness or the brightness-you might try toning it down just a bit to see how it feels. Excellent job on the bird.

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

Comment posted by Gary Gulash on September 2, 2010 at 12:14 AM

Hi Brian. The composition is quite good I would say. However, the bottom of the perch being quite light in tone draws away my attention more than it should. If you could darken the perch way down it would help. Fine background and pose, nice eye contact and head turn.

Registered on January 28, 2005, 879 Posts, 12098 Comments

Comment posted by KC Choo on September 2, 2010 at 12:18 AM

This works for me, too!

Registered on November 15, 2004, 519 Posts, 8278 Comments

Comment posted by Ákos Lumnitzer on September 2, 2010 at 3:48 AM

Good work Brian, like the overall comp and pose.

Thanks for sharing.

Registered on April 24, 2004, 25 Posts, 510 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Dudley on September 2, 2010 at 8:36 AM

I really like both bird and background Brian. Nice detail in the larger image and your composition seems balanced ok. My only small nit would be the lower part of the perch.

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

Comment posted by Hali Sowle on September 2, 2010 at 8:41 AM

Great light and detail, beautiful sharpness, nice dof and background.

Registered on January 9, 2008, 36 Posts, 582 Comments

Comment posted by Nick Saunders on September 2, 2010 at 10:28 AM

A little beauty Brian.

Registered on February 6, 2008, 321 Posts, 3035 Comments

Comment posted by Jim Hackley on September 2, 2010 at 12:06 PM

Wow, what a great pose (are you sure you did not place that bird there

). The image does not seem off balance to me but the OOF branch part in the lower left corner is a minor distraction. Maybe a tighter crop on the bottom just above the knob. I like the background and detail on the bird, well done.

Registered on September 17, 2009, 302 Posts, 5535 Comments

Comment posted by Nate Chappell on September 2, 2010 at 6:23 PM

Beautiful shot Brian, I really like the opposing diagonal lines in this one, I think the bird and perch balance each other well.

Registered on February 1, 2006, 1158 Posts, 19528 Comments

Comment posted by David Haynes on September 3, 2010 at 12:15 AM

Brian,
Beautiful light. Fantastic background and the Upper Right Corner perfectly matches the feather colors of the bird. Details look great and a nice catch light in the eye. Super shot Brian.

Registered on February 20, 2010, 110 Posts, 1511 Comments

Comment posted by Mia McPherson on September 3, 2010 at 7:50 AM

Brian

I like the alert pose of the bird, the nice eye contact and the lovely background. For me the comp could be cropped a touch from the bottom to minimize the OOF perch and if you have more of the original canvas on the right side of the frame I would add some back there. I might also consider toning down the perch a little where it starts to go out of focus down to where it goes out of the frame.

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

Comment posted by Wayne Willison on September 3, 2010 at 4:58 PM

Sweet. Exposure and other techs are spot on. Gotta love that creamy bg as well. As for the comp, I agree with some other comments on cropping out a bit of the bottom. I think it would allow the bird to make even more impact. Love it.

Registered on April 10, 2009, 292 Posts, 3967 Comments