Common Redpoll REPOST

Gallery: AvianPosted January 21, 2015144 views10 comments

Well, after watching this gallery and trying to learn from others' posts I finally decided the best way to learn is to start posting some of my own images. This shot is from a trip to Sax Zim Bog in Minnesota I took last week. The bird was coming to a feeder near the welcome center. Hope I posted correctly, thanks for any comments!
Nikon D600
600mm lens plus 1.4TC
ISO 640
1/1600
F 5.6
Tripod, no flash

Comments

10 comments

Comment posted by Keith Bauer on January 21, 2015 at 9:47 PM

Hi Matt:

Welcome to NPN. This is one of those images that is VERY difficult to capture. You've done very well. Nice sharpness on the Redpoll with the environment to tell what's going on. Exposure looks very good. If I were to make an adjustment, it would be to burn the two lighter OOF branches. They tend to compete for attention. A pretty subtle adjustment, but I'm guessing it would add to the image.

Looking forward to seeing more of your work and seeing your comments on the work of other members.

Registered on November 20, 2003, 458 Posts, 4836 Comments

Comment posted by Sandra M. Apel on January 21, 2015 at 10:58 PM

Matt,
Nice incoming capture. The BG color sets the sharpness of the head and body off nicely. I agree with Keith about the two lighter branches. Thanks for posting.

Registered on October 15, 2013, 20 Posts, 171 Comments

Comment posted by Brian Gatlin on January 22, 2015 at 7:55 AM

Matt, welcome to NPN! Great intro shot--very high degree of difficulty to get any small songbird sharp in flight, and you have nice details and sharpness in the bird's head. the launching pose is really cool. I like Keith's suggestion about slightly darkening the the two out of focus branches.

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

Comment posted by Allen Brooks on January 22, 2015 at 10:51 AM

Nice action shot of the bird coming in for a landing. The head looks sharp.

Registered on July 27, 2011, 262 Posts, 2597 Comments

Comment posted by Luke Ormand on January 22, 2015 at 5:54 PM

Awesome image - looks like it's going to drive headfirst into a pool. Nice shot of the red on top. These birds have been around where I live (a rare treat!) but I've been on vacation so haven't been able to take a stab at them yet.

Registered on February 4, 2009, 1093 Posts, 7035 Comments

Comment posted by Steve Thompson on January 22, 2015 at 8:17 PM

Hi Matt, welcome to NPN. This a really nice first post. Great capture of "the moment". I also would suggest toning down the two bright branches. They draw focus away the subject more than they need to. Well done!

Registered on August 7, 2014, 125 Posts, 2319 Comments

Comment posted by Philip Hodgkins on January 22, 2015 at 11:11 PM

Welcome, Matt! A tough shot, done well! I agree with Keith's comment re the two light branches.

Registered on July 24, 2006, 2741 Posts, 12349 Comments

Comment posted by Ken Archer on January 23, 2015 at 6:28 AM

Welcome to NPN Matt

A sweet first post too! Great action capture, the dark background enhances the redpoll and branches nicely. A pleasing composition as presented.

Looking forward to seeing more of your photographs.

Registered on October 28, 2004, 222 Posts, 6683 Comments

Comment posted by Matt Williams on January 23, 2015 at 3:32 PM

Thanks for everyone's warm welcome and helpful comments. I took a shot at reworking this and removing the two OOF branches. The lower one was straightforward, but the branch under the wing gave me more trouble. I agree though, they were distracting and I think removing them has improved the image. I'll try posting the new version in this comment. Thanks!

Registered on January 21, 2015, 5 Posts, 10 Comments

Comment posted by Brian Gatlin on January 23, 2015 at 8:59 PM

the repost is a really nice improvement--it focuses the attention on the great action. FYI, if you want people to know that you've posted a reworked version so that they can comment on it, go to the main gallery thumbnail page, and under your photo, click 'Edit.' Then just change the title to "Original Title + REPOST."

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