Cedar waxwing - juvenile

Gallery: AvianPosted October 26, 201083 views6 comments

I came across a flock of around 20 cedar waxwings who had recently discovered ripe berries on a cedar tree. Within 48 hours all the berries were picked off. This beautiful bird is a juvenile.
Photo taken on Sept 28, 2010.
Comments welcomed
Nikon D300S with Nikon 500mm lens plus 1.4 teleconverter;
f/5.6; 1/1000; ISO 360

Comments

6 comments

Comment posted by Jeff Loomis on October 26, 2010 at 3:59 PM

Great pose with the fresh berry. The catch light is also nice. Sharpness looks good too, so its definitely worth working on the processing. It seems a bit bright, or maybe if you back off on the contrast a bit. You don't say if this is a crop. If it is, I'd consider adding some back on the left so the tail isn't up against the frame. Then add enough to the right so its not centered. Overall, a very nice image that with a little spit & polish should be a nice addition to your files.

Registered on January 26, 2010, 68 Posts, 719 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on October 26, 2010 at 7:49 PM

Gorgeous, Raymond. Wonderful detail in the plumage and a great pose.

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

Comment posted by Robert Bunch on October 27, 2010 at 1:21 AM

Excellent bird and pose with the berry. I agree with the others that it is a little too contrasty and I think it needs a little more density overall. The breast and the berries especially look a bit too bright.

Registered on May 18, 2004, 124 Posts, 2503 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Bielefeld on October 27, 2010 at 11:55 AM

Raymond I love the pose and the habitat here. To me the bird is oversharpened and the contrast is too high. Also, there is something going on with the colors on the bird. Waxwings do not typically show violet blue on their wings and tail. I shot worth reprocessing IMO.

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

Comment posted by David E Lester on October 27, 2010 at 4:27 PM

Other than the brightness, I love it...

Registered on March 24, 2010, 155 Posts, 793 Comments

Comment posted by raymond auger on October 28, 2010 at 5:25 PM

I appreciate the constructive criticism. I will reprocess the raw image with these comments in mind. The suggestion regarding cropping is also a good one.
Thanks
Ray

Registered on May 23, 2007, 12 Posts, 12 Comments