Varied Thrush (+REPOST for BG)

Just awesome all the way around. I love that purple and the sharpness is ridiculous. Wish there were a larger version.

In specific regards to the BG. . .it is obvious (to me) that it's "fake" and not a photo of a bird that was stumbled upon in the wild. But it sets the bird off nice and is a nice compliment to the beautiful colors this thrush has. A Varied Thrush made Central Park it's winter home but I can't be bothered to go all the way to the city and look for it!

I love the purple background, non native heather or not. Would love to see this bird in my yard but not going to happen. Great sharpness and clarity. Perfect perch. I have to disagree with Luke about the fakeness. Birds go and do wherever they want so almost any background is acceptable and at least it wasn't something obviously man-made. It is beautifully blurred.

I love the pose and the sharpness. The BG is interesting but for me overpowers the image - I'd rather see something in the green-tan spectrum.

The background looks unnatural at first glance, but it sets up the VATH very well. I like the pose of the thrush, great look at the eye and interesting perch.

I envy you having this species in your own backyard!

Very nice shot- Subject is perfectly exposed, with lot of details (even in the small pic)- as regards the BG, it is nicely blurred but it could work better with other colours (in my very modest opinion)- I think that the primitive part of my brain (the main part of it in my case) keeps the ancestral remind of the basic, natural colours we saw in the wild for thousands of years (mainly greens), and maybe our modern aestethic tastes in these situations reflect those experiences- Well done, Fabio

Great bird KC. Can't get any sharper. Detail looks good too for a small image. Love the perch. I also think the BG is nice, but would prefer a something a bit less different from all the other dominant colors in the bird and perch.

That's a beauty of a bird, Kwan. I'm not too sure about the Barney the Dinosaur purple, but I would take it. I've been guilty of the same in the past. I like the sharpness of the subject. Your usual excellence.

Fabulous pose, head-turn and detail. Nice setup too. The purple background is certainly dramatic, but perhaps a bit discordant.

Many thanks (so far) all!

Yes, the BG is a bit overpowering, which is why I asked for your thoughts. But, those who enjoy heathland golf courses in the UK will appreciate my love of heather - to look at only, of course!

I'd be very happy to have this one. The bg may not be for everyone, but others will like it. I like it OK. I like the thrush even better, and the perch. This is a beautiful bird.

Well, I decided to try something in CS5 that I have never done previously - alter the BG deliberately by increasing the green channel in Colour Balance.

I recognised the heather straight away KC. Perhaps the colour is a little intense but we in the Uk are always trying to get bird images with a heather background. I don't know the bird so perhaps it is not a natural habitat according to some of the other comments.That's a really colourful bird for a thrush and detail throughout is excellent. Oh I wish I could use iso's of 1000! Graham

The repost looks more "natural" if that's what you were going for but I love the drama of your first post. Very unusual but very attractive colors.

KC this is just a gorgous image of this thrush. Beautifully sharp and a nice pose.
May

I think that the repost works much better. The bird looks so good I don't think it needs any competition. Well done, Kwan.

must admit, I much prefer the repost, KC. the color in the bg in the original was just too strong/too unnatural feeling for me. love the pose and perch, and sharpness looks fantastic. a great bird that I'd love to have a shot this good of.

Sweet, Kwan. Great image of a very difficult bird. They're around, but awfully hard to get. The heather is a bit odd, but for me, I think it's mostly because I don't expect that kind of color this time of year. If you'd posted it in a couple of months, I probably wouldn't have considered it odd.

For my personal taste I love images that are striking and powerful, be it in colours or detail, so this one had immediate appeal for me soon as I saw it. That said, as has already been noted, the subject is already stunning enough so I prefer the repost, as it draws one's attention much more to the bird. Excellent job KC :^)

BTW, very much enjoyed an afternoon of looking through your marvelous collection of images over on your website yesterday, particularly the Kingfishers you've been fortunate enough to come across on your travels around the globe :^)

And a quick word of thanks to Charlie for pointing me in your direction ;^)

Cheers to you both :^)

Ashley

Great detail and perch KC

cheers
Rob

Great shot, KC. The perch is very nice and the bird is super sharp with fine details.
I'm just a little puzled about the color of the BG...
Mauro

Nice pose of this beauty Kwan!!! Personally, I like the original post better. Sweet Photo!

Ken Archer

Interesting reading the posts and how other people view the BG. I was one of those who thought the background was over powering, not that it was unnatural but for me the purple color took away from admiring the thrush. I like the re-post much better as the bird really stands out for you to see and appreciate the beauty and colors of this bird. Well done.

Nice job on the repost KC. Bird stands out now rather than the BG. IMO, much better.

KC, only you can work in a golf related issue with this kind of photo.... I think they both have their merits, so it is very much a personal taste thing. The darker bg almost makes the bird's colors look more vibrant.....even though I know they aren't. Very nice in any case......as always.