Iridescent Grackle

Gallery: AvianPosted January 10, 2012122 views4 comments

While photographing ducks at a local pond, a grackle lit nearby and gave me this opportunity. Grackles are not usually birds I photograph, as the images tend to turn out dark. The lighting was good and the iridescent colors really stood out. Critiques and comments welcome.

Image Information

Camera: Canon 7D
Lens: Canon 100-400 mm IS
Shutter Speed: 1/50 sec
Aperture: f5.4
Focal Length: 275 mm
ISO:400

Comments

4 comments

Comment posted by Mark Schiebelbein on January 10, 2012 at 8:50 PM

Very nice Jerry. I think he "lit" in more ways than one! The iridescence is amazing. I might crop it a bit just to give him more room on the right where he is looking, a minor nit though. Well done.

Registered on November 8, 2008, 55 Posts, 393 Comments

Comment posted by Brian Gatlin on January 10, 2012 at 10:59 PM

Hi Jerry, the iridescence here is really nice--it is always a treat when you get this much color in a dark bird. the colors in the bg are nice too, and I like the bird's pose. I agree with Mark that a little more room on the right would be nice for the composition. Did you crop this much? I ask because there is quite a bit of noise for ISO 400 on the 7D, and not quite as much detail as I'd expect. The noise could have to do with cropping or brightening the exposure in processing, and the detail could be due to cropping or perhaps the slow shutter speed. Looking forward to more of your images!

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

Comment posted by Jim DeWitt on January 11, 2012 at 12:22 AM

Wonderful work on the iridescence. A bit of glare in the leg, perhaps? Easily fixed. I agree with Mark and Brian on the comp, but the color of the bird does a lot for this photo.

Registered on August 28, 2006, 1240 Posts, 8506 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on January 11, 2012 at 7:25 PM

Nice detail and iridescence, Jerry. I like the textures in the fence.

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