Bushtits in a Dogwood

Gallery: AvianPosted June 12, 201572 views8 comments

These two bushtits sat reasonably still for over a minute, which I think might be a record for this species! They remained cozied up for most of that time. Based on the eye color, I believe they are both females but I am open to what others think. I toned down the background a lot, as it was much brighter than it looks now. Also, cloned out bits and pieces of it. I especially enjoyed the intense eyes of these two birds. Any suggestions to improve the background would be welcome, as well as any other aspects of the image. After posting, I noticed that, in spite of massive noise reduction efforts on the background, there is still some noise, especially on the leaves at the top and the bottom. Maybe I should just select those and blur them out? D800e, 300f4, 1.4tc, f6.3, 1/2500, ISO 1000.

Comments

8 comments

Comment posted by Allen Brooks on June 12, 2015 at 9:25 PM

I think this turned out well. Nice feather detail. Good catchlight. My only thought would be the brownish branch above and to the right of the bires. It's a bit distracting and perhaps it can be cloned out.

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

Comment posted by Steve Thompson on June 12, 2015 at 10:40 PM

Hi Jim, the background looks good to me, just the oof brown branch draws attention. Excellent detail in the birds and the diagonal perch works with the comp. It looks to me that you handled the noise pretty well, I'm not really seeing an issue. Those eyes really pop! Great job! devil

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

Comment posted by Gary Minish on June 13, 2015 at 3:03 AM

Very crisp capture with a perfect exposure, Jim. I think you did a great job of toning down the background and the birds are so sharp and clear in contrast that none of the vegetation bothers me at all. I think it just provides some environmental context. Very nice devil

Registered on February 4, 2006, 625 Posts, 3583 Comments

Comment posted by keith mitchell on June 13, 2015 at 9:33 AM

Do like the pose of these two birds which are also nice and sharp and full of detail,it's a very nice image that i like a lot.

keith.

Registered on July 12, 2008, 127 Posts, 1735 Comments

Comment posted by Ken Watkins on June 13, 2015 at 9:57 AM

Jim,

GREAT EYES!

fabulous pose.

As for the background, I agree wuth trying a little blur.

Registered on December 15, 2010, 1537 Posts, 4877 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Sandor on June 13, 2015 at 11:57 PM

When viewed large, the pose and the detail you've captured in the birds is a visual treat. Whatever noise there may be is of no consequence in this great photo. Richard

Registered on January 12, 2014, 453 Posts, 1625 Comments

Comment posted by Jim Hansen on June 14, 2015 at 2:28 AM

Thanks everyone for your thoughtful comments. When I print this I will crop out that brown branch a couple of you mentioned. I will also smooth out some of those branches and leaves by blurring them a bit. Thanks again.