Backyard Wren

Gallery: AvianPosted March 10, 201497 views5 comments

I found this cute guy (girl) in my backyard. There were two, so I'm thinking they are building a nest close to where I keep seeing them. The shutter speed was lower than I had anticipated, but it looks like it worked out. I was using a Feisol tripod with a Wimberly head. The background is my neighbor's trees. Processed with Photoshop CS3, NeatImage and LightZone. Comments and critiques welcome.

Canon 7D
Canon 200-400 f4 L IS
f5.6
1/80s
ISO 320
Focal Length 519 mm (Teleconverter engaged)

Comments

5 comments

Comment posted by John Neukirch on March 11, 2014 at 9:05 AM

Really a nice perch and BG. Wish the head was turned slightly more to catch more light in the eye. Also the really slow shutter speed did not do you any favors as the body, wing and tail are quite soft. Were you shooting in aperture priority? Just wondering why the 1/80 shutter speed.

Registered on July 9, 2012, 207 Posts, 1476 Comments

Comment posted by Rick Cloran on March 11, 2014 at 10:04 AM

Nice complementary tones and colors here. The large version shows the good detail in the head, beak and eye. I agree with John that the body sharpness seems to drop off rapidly. If the head held at that speed the body should. The F5.6 might be part of the cause given how close you would have been to get him at this size, but I'm wondering if it may not be a little overlay of the NeatImage NR into his body. It may be worth rechecking the layers. The upright sticks bug me more than I would have suspected. the one on the right more so, I think because it is broken off. Still a nice shot overall.

Registered on April 6, 2004, 119 Posts, 1989 Comments

Comment posted by Robert Bunch on March 11, 2014 at 2:45 PM

A real nice shot. My only criticism would be that the head could be in a better position. Nice perch and BG for my taste.

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

Comment posted by Jerry Austin on March 11, 2014 at 10:08 PM

John,

I was indeed in aperture priority. The camera elected the shutter speed. I didn't realize it was that slow until I saw the metadata. The afternoon light was fading fast when I took this.

Registered on January 6, 2012, 651 Posts, 3448 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on March 11, 2014 at 10:12 PM

Good detail for such a slow shutter speed and such an active bird, Jerry. Looks like the focal plane might have been a bit off the eye. Always nice to have a pair of wrens around.

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