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Vermilion Flycatcher (f)
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Vermilion Flycatcher (f)

by Dennis Plank

Gallery: AvianPosted April 3, 201578 views3 comments
While not as gaudy as her mate, this is still a beautiful flycatcher. This is skipping ahead a bit on the trip I took to the San Pedro river just east of Sierra Vista in Arizona. For those of you who go to Ramsey Canyon, this is a must-do. The hummingbirds weren't at Ramsey yet and I spent three days on the San Pedro and could have spent much longer.

7Dii, 500mm f4 ISL + 1.4TC, Jobu Gimbal on RRS legs, f/9.0, 1/4000, iso 1250 (should have started cranking down the iso earlier as the light came up). Processed in LR5 and CS6. Cropped to 11MP from the original 20 (I really need to get better at framing ala Hans Overduin and John Launstein). Taken at 8:21 am (I think-the time changes were getting confusing) on March 10th.

I'd appreciate your critiques.

Thanks,

Comments

3 comments
Comment posted by Patrick O'Healy on April 3, 2015 at 4:08 PM
Dennis, this is a wonderful image. I like your loose crop that allows the OOF background to contribute significantly. The composition plays tricks on my mind in a wonderful way. Clearly the bird and post are stationary, and the shape of the background gives it movement and the feeling of serpentine tendrils. The contrast of these two states makes this an image to remember. Overall, this is a sweet image. :toast:
Registered on March 13, 2011, 326 Posts, 1679 Comments
Comment posted by John Launstein on April 4, 2015 at 4:17 AM
Two words: LOVE IT. :smile:

More words: Specifically, I really like your choice of composition here, and the insane separation from the perch/bird and background. Speaking of which, the perch and bird have awesome texture and detail, and the background has an absolutely mesmerizing effect going on in the bokeh, almost certainly caused by (or enhanced by) the teleconverter. I know Josiah gets the coolest looking water I've ever seen in the background of his waterfowl by shooting at f/10 with a TC...I notice you're close to that here. Just a secondary observation. :wink:

Two thumbs up to say the least!
Registered on April 5, 2011, 223 Posts, 1193 Comments
Comment posted by Hans Overduin on April 4, 2015 at 10:45 AM
Lovely flycacther indeed ! I like the fact that you kept the bird small in the frame, and also like the 'waves' in the BG. Should I come up with one thing I would prefer different, it would be the perch. I guess that with a smaller/more fragile perch the image would even be stronger. But that's just a minor thing, the overall impression is: :toast: , Hans
Registered on August 31, 2011, 491 Posts, 3807 Comments