Cedar on Pine

Gallery: AvianPosted June 10, 2010403 views15 comments

I post this image with much hesitation - if any of the Fauna Gallery regulars wander over here they may find out I'm a closet bird photographer (who shoots more songbird images than bear images) and my credibility will be shot!

Simply a Cedar Waxwing on a long-dead Ponderosa Pine snag. I nabbed this image on Tuesday AM about an hour before sunrise. Interestingly, even tho' the sun was still behind the distant mountain peaks, there was still a strong directional component to the light and I had to carefully expose to avoid blowing the highlights...

Subject: Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) perched in gap in Ponderosa Pine snag
Location: Findlay Creek, BC, Canada
Camera: Nikon D3s
Lens: 600mm f4 VR - supported on tripod
Exposure: 1/200s @ f5; ISO 1250; -0.3 stop exposure compensation from metered exposure setting.
Crop: This is about 70% of full frame

All comments and critiques welcome, but probably better to view larger image first.

While I like the image (I'm totally biased tho'!), I'm particularly interested if the out-of-focus nature of the framing snag in the upper right portions of the image spoils it for you.

Cheers and thanks in advance. And remember not to tell any Fauna Gallery residents that I posted this here!

Brad

PS: Kidding aside, I personally draw no line between birds and "other" wildlife in my shooting - to me it's all wildlife and I appreciate all of it, except some spiders...

Comments

15 comments

Comment posted by Keith Bauer on June 10, 2010 at 1:17 PM

Brad: Nice image. Great details on the bird and you gotta love those red tips on the wings. Your specific question regarding the OOF part of the snag.... I believe the image would be stronger if the entire framing with the snag was in focus. It isn't a deal breaker, but it doesn't help either. I struggle a bit with the composition as it feels heavy on the right. I think it is the combination of the pose of the Waxwing and the framing on the right. If you could have just convinced the bird to look to the left, I think it would have solved that problem

. Thanks for sharing a fine image.

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

Comment posted by Ronnie Gaubert on June 10, 2010 at 1:34 PM

Hi Brad,
Really nice colors and image clarity. Just love the low light and smoothness. There will be some that will say the OOF tree doesn't bother them. I say it detracts from the image because it's an important aspect of the composition as the bird faces that area. I have many avian images where the bird is perfect but distracting elements in those images are a show stopper for me. If the bird would have been facing away from the tree, the OOF tree might not have been a strong component of the composition. So ignoring the OOF tree, this is a wonderful low light image.
Thanks for posting
Ronnie G.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 810 Posts, 3495 Comments

Comment posted by Brad Hill on June 10, 2010 at 1:40 PM

Hey Keith and Ronnie,

Great feedback on this - thanks for the honest and clarity. I look forward to what others think. I tend to be really anal about out-of-focus zones and have run this one by some others (non-NPNers but photographers). Interestingly about 1/2 of them were so drawn into the detail on the bird and the lighting that they didn't even notice the OOF focus zone. Which is exactly why I posted it - to increase the sample size of feedback!

Thanks again!

Brad

Registered on May 29, 2007, 431 Posts, 6061 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on June 10, 2010 at 1:54 PM

Very cool composition, Brad. I was a bit ambivalent about the oof part of the snag, but when I let myself look at the image for more than a few seconds, it still maintains the neat framing aspect, but seems to fade out a bit. Bottom line is that it works. That said, I did some playing by scrolling up and down and I think if you take just a bit off the top and bottom of the image, it will de-emphasize the oof part a bit more.

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

Comment posted by John Tobias on June 10, 2010 at 2:38 PM

So where is the bear? Nice bird photo, OOF snag not a big deal for me. Nice detail in the bird. Thanks for sharing.

Registered on September 12, 2009, 2120 Posts, 6455 Comments

Comment posted by Mauro Pasquero on June 10, 2010 at 2:42 PM

Great shot, Brad. I like it very much

Mauro

Registered on January 21, 2010, 650 Posts, 2500 Comments

Comment posted by Simon Bennett on June 10, 2010 at 5:55 PM

Brad, The lighting gives the bird depth, and the pose and background colours are exemplary. To my eyes the crag at top right is a bit overbearing. Simon

Registered on February 4, 2007, 350 Posts, 4614 Comments

Comment posted by David Chauvin on June 10, 2010 at 6:21 PM

There's a lot going right in this image, Brad. The soft, angular light, sweet color and posture of the subject on a cool perch. The OOF part of the snag is just too intrusive in relation to the bird. IMO, it's the difference between a really nice image a wall hanger.

Registered on August 5, 2004, 1007 Posts, 5595 Comments

Comment posted by Douglas Graham on June 10, 2010 at 6:51 PM

Brad this has a wonderful feel to it. Simple and elegant perfectly composed and the techs are nailed sharp as a tack really a nice image now go away……… stay in the fauna gallery and let us bird shooter lick our wounds

PS: Its OK to have things in the frame that are OOF if it where all sharp stem to stern your eye would bounce around the OOF part of the tree just frames the bird really well. Again go back to the fauna gallery.

Registered on May 14, 2009, 123 Posts, 522 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Gulash on June 10, 2010 at 10:04 PM

Hi Brad. Love the image quality, colors, setting. I like the oof tree on the right. Having a little bit of imperfection, or serendipity like that tree makes the image more interesting. I do believe that the bird has more space at its back than in front of it, showing a tad more of the tree would help to balance this; better to have him looking into the frame than out. Keep hanging out here and we will "educate" you in the proper methods and techniques.

Registered on January 28, 2005, 879 Posts, 12098 Comments

Comment posted by richard remington on June 11, 2010 at 11:11 AM

I love the detail on the tail area. I always have trouble with the eyes on a cedar waxwing. The black stripe along with black eyes makes it tough to seperate them.

Registered on March 12, 2010, 105 Posts, 368 Comments

Comment posted by Brian Gatlin on June 11, 2010 at 11:52 AM

Brad, this looks fantastic for a low light shot, I like the soft light, the great detail, the bg, and the pose. While I like how the snag frames the bird, I do wish that it was more in focus--the oof part is pretty heavy and I think does detract some. Still a very good and well-executed shot.

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

Comment posted by Jim Hackley on June 11, 2010 at 12:08 PM

Very interesting shot, at first my eyes went right to the bird, background and then I noticed the OOF trunk. The OOF area is not a show stopper for me but I would agree with David C. analogy that the OOF area is the difference between a really good shot and a wall hanger. Good feather detail on the larger version, well done.

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

Comment posted by Satie Sharma on June 12, 2010 at 8:24 AM

Excellent detail, eye contact and techs, Brad. The bird looks a little cramped to me with the OOF snag on the right.

Registered on November 11, 2003, 189 Posts, 5335 Comments

Comment posted by Mia McPherson on June 13, 2010 at 2:10 PM

Brad,

I love the pose of the Waxwing and how it appears to be giving you a direct look. The colors, feather details, sharpness of the bird and the light all work for me. The OOF snag though does pull my eyes away from the bird's beauty because it is so close to the bird's face and body. If there had been more distance or if the waxwing had been facing the other way it would be an issue for me, but as presented I find myself wishing the OOF snag wasn't there.

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