White-crowned Sparrow

Gallery: AvianPosted February 12, 2012140 views13 comments

White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys)

Place: Water Ranch, Gilbert, AZ
Date: February 5, 2012 8:57 am
Equipment: Nikon D300, Nikkor AF-S 300/2.8 & TC20E III (2x), G1325, RRS BH-55, Sidekick
Exposure: ISO 800, Aperture priority spot metered, 1/500th @ f/8
Raw on Mac G4, PSCS3, 81% of frame
Not baited, not set up, no cloning, no noise reduction

Another day, another immature white-crown. It landed on this neat branch as I came along the trail and sat there long enough to get off a few frames.

Honest critiques requested; all comments appreciated. If possible please view the large version before commenting.

Comments

13 comments

Comment posted by Brian Gatlin on February 12, 2012 at 8:43 PM

Rich, I really like the curving lines of the branch and the way you used it with the composition. great work getting the exposure right with that bright bg--I've gotta play with spot metering more--even if I don't have it in one-button mode, I can get there with 2 buttons and 3 presses, without taking my eyes off the view finder, so I don't really have any good excuse. Anyway--I like the pose, mood, and comp of this a lot.

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

Comment posted by Steve Balke on February 12, 2012 at 8:59 PM

I really like the exposure here, Richard. The bird stands out from the bg just the right amount. The perch and pose are perfect too.

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

Comment posted by Edward Scott on February 12, 2012 at 10:23 PM

Absolutely beautiful shot Richard! If I was to suggest anything at all, it would be to place the bird a little further left in the frame so it's not so centered. That's just a minor nit though and I'm not even sure it would be an improvement. Love the detail in the larger view. Congrats!

Registered on February 8, 2012, 22 Posts, 70 Comments

Comment posted by Charlie VanTassel on February 12, 2012 at 11:00 PM

I like the overall color scheme. The surroundings match the bird well. Sharp as can be, too.

Registered on October 18, 2006, 644 Posts, 4801 Comments

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on February 13, 2012 at 2:17 AM

A great look at this one. Very well-framed with the branches, nice natural colours, and a good pose.
Well-done!
Sandy

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

Comment posted by Barbara Graham on February 13, 2012 at 8:11 AM

In the larger version the detail is so perfect that it is as if the bird is right in front of me.

Registered on July 27, 2010, 1310 Posts, 5035 Comments

Comment posted by Charles Gangas on February 13, 2012 at 8:56 AM

Sharp detail and lovely composition Rich. Although I have programed my Preview button for Spot Metering I rarely use it. I see this image as an excellent example for employing it more frequently.

Registered on August 12, 2009, 544 Posts, 2414 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on February 13, 2012 at 9:50 AM

Sweet palette and bg, Richard and an excellent job on the Sparrow.

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

Comment posted by Mia McPherson on February 13, 2012 at 6:01 PM

This is delightful Rich, I love the subtle coloring of the bird and the background, the gentle curve of the branch and the head angle. Excellent techs as always.

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

Comment posted by Angela McCain on February 13, 2012 at 9:21 PM

Very nice view of the softly colored bird. I like the head position and the perch angle. His centering seems to be offset by the foliage on the left.

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

Comment posted by William Bickle on February 14, 2012 at 9:55 AM

Hello Richard

Clean & Sharp. I also enjoy the Branches Framing Excellent Eye to capture this ! Very well exposed Bird And the look at you pose is Great ! No Nits here.

TFS

Bill

Registered on June 13, 2011, 183 Posts, 1702 Comments

Comment posted by Jim Hackley on February 14, 2012 at 11:16 AM

Wonderful detail on the sparrow in the larger image. As common as sparrows are I always have a difficult time getting a good shot of one like this shot is. I like the overall centered composition showing the habitat and the head turn showing the brown striped crown.
Nice job in reacting and seeing this opportunity, well done Rich.

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

Comment posted by Robert Bunch on February 15, 2012 at 9:32 AM

Very nice pose, perch, head turn and nice feather detail. I like the BG which is very clean but still shows a hint of the environment. If it was mine I might consider cropping out the branch and leaves on the left side leaving pretty much just the perch branches, the bird and the BG.

Registered on May 18, 2004, 124 Posts, 2503 Comments