Loggerhead Shrike juvie

Gallery: AvianPosted August 3, 2010157 views23 comments

Lanius ludovicianus

Ron D. and I found some juvenile Loggerhead Shrikes while we were out photographing yesterday, this is one of them. I have another one that I am fond of where the shrike is down on the oolitic sand, I hope to post that soon. This one I selected because I like the background and the pose of the juvenile. The background consists of sage & rabbitbrush and dried grasses.

D200, f6.3, 1/1500, ISO 500 (a mistake, I had it up to 500 for earlier images and forgot to lower it), 200-400mm VR with 1,4x TC at 400mm, natural light, 57% of the original image. Early morning light. Aperture priority, 0 EV comp. I have posted a larger version for evaluation of detail & sharpness.

As always, I sincerely appreciate your comments & critiques. Thank you for looking.

Comments

23 comments

Comment posted by Ron Bielefeld on August 3, 2010 at 2:55 PM

Great to see another juvie out in the world. I love loggerheads and have yet to get a juvie image I like. Great BG for sure and I like the overall comp. Noise in the BG looks well controlled for ISO 500. On my 7D I would have had to use NR with that BG at ISO 500. Sharpness on the bird is great and the overall exposure looks good.

Registered on December 6, 2008, 360 Posts, 7132 Comments

Comment posted by Luke Ormand on August 3, 2010 at 2:56 PM

Looking at the thumbnail I knew this was yours or Ron's. I really like the look of the juvenile and for the most part the open space though I think it's a bit too much in this instance.

As for the ISO, you stated:

ISO 500 (a mistake, I had it up to 500 for earlier images and forgot to lower it),

Can you really tell the difference between ISO 500 and ISO 320? I know that the lower the better but I think the difference (especially when you are in the sub 1000 range) is becoming less noticeable.

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

Comment posted by Philip Hodgkins on August 3, 2010 at 3:01 PM

ISO 500 certainly didn't hurt you, mistake or no. I have no nits about the bird, its pose or perch (all of which I like), but I am wondering about the amount of canvas in front. Whatever, still an excellent photo, up to your usual standards and keen eye.

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

Comment posted by Mia McPherson on August 3, 2010 at 3:06 PM

Thanks Ron & Luke.

Luke, I can tell the difference between when I am shooting ISO 320 and ISO 500. There would have been more detail in ISO 320 on my D200 and I can see far more detail in my shots taken at ISO 200. It might not be as obvious in the newer Nikon models, but I am shooting with an older camera, one that many people have complained about noise at any thing over ISO 200. I don't find that to be the case. This image has no NR.

As for my comp I am working to create a well rounded portfolio in which I will include low light, high light images and birds small in the frame. It never hurts to have some diversity in my files. Thanks.

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

Comment posted by Jim Hackley on August 3, 2010 at 3:31 PM

Wonderful feather detail on the larger image and I really like the background but I am going back and forth on the large amount of open space. However, it is nice to see something different in composition and framing especially with such a nice background of smooth colors to compliment the image, well done.

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

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on August 3, 2010 at 3:37 PM

I really like the light, the bg and the pose in this one, Mia. For my taste, you could crop it just a bit tighter on the top and left.

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

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on August 3, 2010 at 3:51 PM

Delightful pose!
Maybe just a bit less dead space to the left? - but, really, just fine as is -

Sandy r

Registered on November 24, 2003, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments

Comment posted by Ken Archer on August 3, 2010 at 4:17 PM

Nice looking youngster Mia!!! Excellent portrait

Ken Archer

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

Comment posted by Doug Gilham on August 3, 2010 at 4:30 PM

A very nice capture Mia, I love the BG colors. I like your comp as well, and your focus is spot on, with a nice catchlight.

Registered on September 20, 2009, 77 Posts, 489 Comments

Comment posted by Benjamin DeHaven on August 3, 2010 at 5:39 PM

For my taste, there is a bit to much negative space, I might crop it a bit more. I do love the bokeh but there just seems to be too much and it overwhelms the bird. The bird is perfect and his pose is fantastic. May have tried a higher aperture in order to get more of the bush in focus, especially the bit right in front of his tail. Just nit picking. Love the pose!

Registered on May 31, 2010, 26 Posts, 53 Comments

Comment posted by KC Choo on August 3, 2010 at 5:57 PM

We tend to have the birds too large in the frame most times, I think. I'm very much with you on giving the bird more room. This is excellent!

Registered on November 15, 2004, 519 Posts, 8278 Comments

Comment posted by Simon Bennett on August 3, 2010 at 6:30 PM

A delightful composition, excellent plumage detail and I do like the clean background and colours.

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

Comment posted by Richard Ditch on August 3, 2010 at 6:55 PM

I like this as posted and applaud your desire to add diversity to your portfolio. A photo editor would like this composition as it would allow for a nice double page spread with test overlay at the start of an article. And given the quality of the image that same photo editor could crop tighter for a single page layout of desired.

Luke: I shoot with a D200 as well and I agree with Mia on the ISO. It took me a while to get happy shooting it at ISO 400, and I always drop it down to 200 whenever conditions permit. I rarely go above ISO 400 because the noise becomes an issue and the image quality suffers from loss of fine detail. I would be happy to have a newer Nikon with better performance at higher ISO settings.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 1031 Posts, 12705 Comments

Comment posted by Pat Sampson on August 3, 2010 at 7:17 PM

Beautiful image Mia. I love the space in this almost as much as the bird. And that's saying a lot.

Pat

Registered on May 19, 2007, 953 Posts, 15989 Comments

Comment posted by Angela McCain on August 3, 2010 at 10:30 PM

Nice image. Sharpness is excellent. Good light and eye contact. I know you are already at a pretty severe crop, but I think it would be more appealing if it were a little tighter. There is a lot of space to the left.

Registered on April 19, 2009, 367 Posts, 3589 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Gulash on August 4, 2010 at 12:22 AM

This is a species on the threatened list here in Alberta, so I'm happy and impressed to see a photo of the next generation. I couldn't tolerate my D200 at over 400 iso, having said that the detail here is fine and noise is very acceptable. I like the over the shoulder backwards glance, he looks a bit annoyed with the shutter sound. I must add my voice to those who feel their is just a bit too much space on the left side. Don't get me wrong I love the size of the bird in the frame, just that I would like to see a bit more of the shrubby perch and left empty background on the left.

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

Comment posted by Rob Drummond on August 4, 2010 at 8:01 AM

Lovely light,comp and detail Mia and a convenient little head turn

cheers
Rob

Registered on November 8, 2003, 617 Posts, 8267 Comments

Comment posted by Chris Ross on August 4, 2010 at 8:49 AM

Very nice Mia, good pose and sweet lighting. I'm thinking I'd like the bird a little more away from the RH edge, with a slice more bush and less open space on the LHS.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 403 Posts, 2729 Comments

Comment posted by Graham Brown on August 4, 2010 at 1:32 PM

I have to say that I think this composition works very well Mia. Normally I might crop it a bit tighter but with the light on the bird you can see all the lovely feather detail especially in the larger version and I think the extra space he's looking into really suits the image. I agree about the iso, I really don't like going above 400 on the 7D unless the light is really good but only then if I have to. Excellent technically as usual and I really like that background. Graham

Registered on November 20, 2007, 275 Posts, 1365 Comments

Comment posted by Brian Gatlin on August 4, 2010 at 5:41 PM

Mia, I love the light, and the comp works very well for me. The details in this juvenile plumage are a real treat, especially those tips on the greater coverts.

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

Comment posted by Nate Chappell on August 4, 2010 at 7:10 PM

The comp works well for me because there is a nice variation in the bg colors. I like the inquisitive pose and perch as well Mia.

Registered on February 1, 2006, 1158 Posts, 19528 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Dudley on August 4, 2010 at 7:17 PM

I think this is beautiful as presented Mia. Your crop highlights that gorgeous background and the shrike's pose is perfect for doing so. This discussion has got me thinking about size of subject in the frame and portfolio diversity. My tendency is to crop too tightly anyway so I've got some experimenting to do. Thanks to you and to those who commented here for getting me to thinking out of "my" box.

Registered on March 30, 2007, 437 Posts, 10915 Comments

Comment posted by May Haga on August 5, 2010 at 7:29 PM

This is a wonderfu limage. i really like the background and the composition.
May

Registered on February 22, 2007, 714 Posts, 8470 Comments