Great Crested Flycatcher

Gallery: AvianPosted July 21, 201198 views6 comments

A recent trip to New Orleans allowed a visit to Couturie Forest/City Park. This image was made at "The Mountain" in the Forest where the park was pretty well destroyed by Katrina. The City of New Orleans has done a remarkable job of getting the place put back together-a really neat park to visit and a great place to shoot.

Your comments are welcome and appreciated.

D3s
300mm f/2.8
TC-20II E
1/640s @ f/6.3
ISO 500
SB 900
Aperture Priority
-1/3 EV

Comments

6 comments

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on July 21, 2011 at 12:52 AM

Sure glad the park has recovered!
Nice pose and eye, and great head-turn and prey!
Fairly soft, though - likely a large crop? With a flash, you could have gone to F8 which would likely have put the whole bird in focus.
The white circles are distracting, but it would be easy to heal them or clone them out.
Nice catch!
Sandy

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

Comment posted by Gary Gulash on July 21, 2011 at 1:10 AM

I like the setting quite a lot, including the background brighter areas, they add interest for me. Love the moth in the beak, they are kind of built for that though! I like the over the shoulder glance you captured here, bet he didn't stay there long. A bit soft on the larger view as Sandy mentions.

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

Comment posted by Richard Ditch on July 21, 2011 at 12:54 PM

The subject goes a good way to compensating for some minor softness.

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

Comment posted by Angela McCain on July 23, 2011 at 10:42 AM

Great subject and you have done a great job imaging it. Lots of detail in the face and in the moth and I'm just not finding it that soft-I think it looks pretty good.

Here's what I would consider. Clone out the OOF limb on the bottom. Bring in the crop. Right side about 1/3 getting rid of the upright OOF limb. Left about half way in between the tail and the left side and on the bottom to just about where the OOF limb and the centermost down going limb cross. Heal the bright spot on the left.

Then when you post-you can always present us with a 720 only-not the optional larger version if you don't think that the newer crop will allow it. (Obviously in the repost that's our only choice, but sometimes I skip posting the larger image in my original if I think that it doesn't "improve" the situation).

Hope that's not to much bossing around. Just trying to help. (Blame the forums-someone complained we were being TOO NICE).

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

Comment posted by Cheryl Molennor on July 23, 2011 at 8:19 PM

Great light and prey in the mouth as well as the head turn. I would prefer the left side bright spot to be toned down a little though.Great catch!

Registered on June 30, 2009, 300 Posts, 5051 Comments

Comment posted by Howard Cheek on August 2, 2011 at 6:42 PM

I like the filtered light that has provided a distinct "atmosphere" to this one Charles.
Great head turn showing us that small moth, nicely detailed & sharp where it counts..
Like that BG too with the light breaking through the forest BG here & there.
Well done!

Registered on July 24, 2008, 1201 Posts, 10758 Comments