Merlin

Gallery: AvianPosted June 24, 2011175 views13 comments

Olympus E-5, 300mm x 2.0TC, braced in pickup window
f11, 1/320, ISO200

Just west of Maclaren Summit, at the top of the long descent into the Maclaren River valley. Perched in a large willow. I'd think this is a male, but could be persuaded otherwise. The white out of focus band is the crest of the central Alaska Range.

Cropped to vertical. Cloned out a distracting twig. Brightened slightly (more than I usually would). Usual sharpening drill.

C & C, please. Thanks for looking.

Comments

13 comments

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on June 24, 2011 at 12:56 AM

Jim - beautiful bird in a great pose. Nice detail and eye.
I'm unsure about the upper branch - it's large and, for me, overpowers the bird. I might get rid of it altogether.
Fine with this comp, but might be good with a vertical comp too.
A little healing still needed to blend the blue line where I'm guessing the cloning was.

Great catch!
Sandy

Registered on November 24, 2003, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments

Comment posted by Verdon on June 24, 2011 at 12:58 AM

Jim Jim Jim a-mazing shot, but sorry the top branch for me destroyed whole frame

Registered on June 10, 2011, 147 Posts, 1444 Comments

Comment posted by KC Choo on June 24, 2011 at 9:03 AM

Jim, you have a wonderful capture here of the Merlin. I would tend to agree about the upper branch which, I think, could easily be eliminated altogether by a much tighter 2:3 vertical crop, and placing the bird to the right of centre.

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

Comment posted by Angela McCain on June 24, 2011 at 10:20 AM

Lovely bird and I love the curve of the willow just where he is sitting. I'm glad you pushed up the DOF to get the entire perch area in sharp focus. Other suggestions noted and agreed to. Maybe a tad of brightening overall. Well seen and captured.

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

Comment posted by Peter Conway on June 24, 2011 at 11:34 AM

Jim, This must have been a beautiful sight against that background! Jealous.

The Merlin is splendid, agree with others on removing upper branch.

Peter

Registered on June 25, 2007, 347 Posts, 3913 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Ditch on June 24, 2011 at 12:25 PM

Nice Merlin. I like the pose. Colors look very natural.

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

Comment posted by Manoj Vallati on June 24, 2011 at 4:04 PM

The Branch over the bird is too strong IMO.. makes the bird look small .. I like the stare and the soft gradations in the background

Registered on February 24, 2011, 49 Posts, 148 Comments

Comment posted by Cheryl Molennor on June 24, 2011 at 10:25 PM

I love the light on the bird as well as the pose and stare but I too agree about the top branch. Although it would frame nicely it's a little distracting being oof.

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

Comment posted by Rob Drummond on June 24, 2011 at 11:52 PM

Nice one Jim - really like the setting and eye contact

cheers
Rob

Registered on November 8, 2003, 617 Posts, 8267 Comments

Comment posted by Ashley Vincent on June 25, 2011 at 7:29 AM

Beautiful subject and nicely captured Jim, I also like the graduating effect of the sky in the background.

As to the upper branch, if it were in shaper focus I'd leave it in, but OOF as it is I think it would be better removed.

Registered on March 1, 2011, 154 Posts, 2083 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Bielefeld on June 25, 2011 at 9:12 AM

Jim, I think the image works as posted, but also believe it would go from working to excellent without the top OOF branch. Really a good look at this Merlin.

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

Comment posted by David Sparks on June 25, 2011 at 3:28 PM

Jim:
I'm jealous of the merlin and the central Alaska Range in the BG. The exposure of the bird looks spot on to me. I like the pose that lets us view the pattern on the belly and tail as well as the dark wings.

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

Comment posted by Steve Balke on June 26, 2011 at 6:18 PM

I like how the bird is turned towards us, Jim. I think I'd leave the branch in: without the branch the shot is more conventional; the branch frames the bird and makes it unusual. However, the bird is quite centered: you might consider having it positioned more to the rhs. Impressive bird very well captured.

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