Song Sparrow with Repost

Gallery: AvianPosted January 16, 2011114 views17 comments

A common bird, not very flashy. But I liked the various shades of brown, the simple perch, and the relatively clean background. This is not a setup. This is an older photo, taken with modest equipment, and you may find it less than critically sharp.
D40, 70-300vr at 260mm, f10, iso 320, f5.7, natural light
All comments appreciated. I value your critiques and advice.

Comments

17 comments

Comment posted by Steve Balke on January 17, 2011 at 12:12 AM

Looks sharp enough to me, Dan. Nice pose and just enough of a head turn towards us to make it personal. Perch shows fine detail too. One question is whether or not to leave the second, slightly OOF, branch in or clone it out. I don't find it too distracting (it is faint and OOF). However, I'd be tempted to remove it and then maybe crop a little more from the rhs. The background is a very pleasing color for this bird and is a bit different.

Registered on June 18, 2009, 229 Posts, 2915 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Gulash on January 17, 2011 at 1:24 AM

I like the colors, good dof on the sparrow as he is completely sharp, and the background is fine as well. The perch is ok, but maybe a little underwhelming. Over all very good!

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

Comment posted by Mauro Pasquero on January 17, 2011 at 2:58 AM

Dan, I love the common birds, as you can see from my posts. They are so nice !
This is beautiful. Great detail in spite the "modest equipment". Well done.
Mauro

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

Comment posted by Monica Siri on January 17, 2011 at 9:17 AM

Dan,
a very nice bird. I like the pose and the background. About the perch, maybe I'd try to clone out the oof stick, anyway I like as posted.

Registered on September 20, 2009, 132 Posts, 3764 Comments

Comment posted by Kurt Bowman on January 17, 2011 at 10:19 AM

I sure don't see much wrong with htis at all Dan. I like it quite a bit and don't care if it is a common subject. I like how it is peresented. My only nit, is I might clode the oof branch also. I am not a big cloner, but this one seems to distract a tad bit since it appears to be closer to the viewer than the bird and ont in the BG.

Registered on June 19, 2008, 1005 Posts, 8028 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Marquart on January 17, 2011 at 11:02 AM

Looks good to me Dan, I like the eye contact. Looks fine as is but I think I could do without the other OOF branch. On the other hand it will probably look more setup without it.

Registered on October 24, 2009, 126 Posts, 799 Comments

Comment posted by Dan Harbour on January 17, 2011 at 11:12 AM

Here is a repost with the second stick cloned out. Thanks for the constructive comments.

Registered on January 4, 2008, 113 Posts, 2416 Comments

Comment posted by Dan Moore on January 17, 2011 at 12:49 PM

I did not find the OOf branch distracting until you cloned it out.Even more clean without the branch. Very good capture.

Dan

Registered on February 11, 2010, 143 Posts, 1248 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on January 17, 2011 at 1:28 PM

Very nice, Dan. The detail looks reasonable to me. Beautiful bg.

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

Comment posted by Simon Litten on January 17, 2011 at 1:32 PM

A lovely looking bird and a nice composition - all looks good to me

Simon

Registered on June 22, 2006, 24 Posts, 275 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Marquart on January 17, 2011 at 3:54 PM

I definitely like the repost better Dan, without the OOF branch. Looks great!

Registered on October 24, 2009, 126 Posts, 799 Comments

Comment posted by Simon Bennett on January 17, 2011 at 4:17 PM

Good pose and eye contact and I like the overall earthy tones.

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

Comment posted by Wayne Willison on January 17, 2011 at 4:46 PM

Lovely rendition of the sparrow. The repost takes it, adds even more simplicity.

Registered on April 10, 2009, 292 Posts, 3967 Comments

Comment posted by Matt Shellenberg on January 17, 2011 at 8:07 PM

I like it with or without the second stick, Dan. It looks plenty sharp to me. That background really compliments the sparrow well. Great job.

Registered on February 6, 2008, 168 Posts, 3118 Comments

Comment posted by Angela McCain on January 17, 2011 at 11:29 PM

I prefer your repost. Very nice overall image. I can't help but feel that the whites need to come up just a touch. Or maybe desaturate a bit. I think there is a slight orange cast to the bird.

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

Comment posted by Mia McPherson on January 18, 2011 at 7:09 AM

I liek the subtle tones of sparrows Dan, esepcially with backgrounds like this that are very complimentary of the bird. Nice pose & eye contact. I might globally increase the exposure very slightly then apply a levels layer and bring the midtones up a bit as the sparrow does seem a bit dark to me. Personally I like the oof branch, it balances the comp, but its alright without it too

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

Comment posted by Jim Hackley on January 18, 2011 at 3:25 PM

Nice background and perch that really compliments the brown sparrow, I not like to clone but do happen to like the 2nd post better, well done.

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