Loggerhead Shrike

Gallery: AvianPosted August 21, 201179 views16 comments

Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus)

Place: Gilbert Water Ranch, AZ, USA
Date: February 6, 2010, 7:57 am
Equipment: Nikon D200, Nikkor AF-S 300/2.8 & TC20E (2x), G1325, RRS BH-55, Sidekick
Exposure: ISO 400, Aperture priority spot metered, 1/800th @ f/9
Raw, PS CS3 on Mac G4, moderate crop

Another from my back files while I wait for temps to drop out of the triple digits (maybe another month to go).

Some may not care for the central placement of the shrike but it was necessary to compose this way to keep the arc of the thorny branch complete.

Honest critiques requested; all comments appreciated.

Comments

16 comments

Comment posted by Ron Bielefeld on August 21, 2011 at 5:43 PM

A really nice comp Rich. Love the branch and nice warm light. Great detail and DOF on the bird. Well done.

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

Comment posted by Howard Cheek on August 21, 2011 at 6:43 PM

Nice warm light, DOF, & detail Rich. The centered comp works very well with this perch IMO.
Great image

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

Comment posted by Luke Ormand on August 21, 2011 at 7:35 PM

Simple shot with nice basic elements and interesting lines - I like how the hooked beak mimics the thorns... the only thing I wish were different were that the 3 thorns in the LLC didn't run to the edge of the image.

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

Comment posted by Sally King on August 21, 2011 at 8:21 PM

I really like your placement of the bird in the frame. The perch is great. Very nice light. NIce how the black eye stands out from the black mask.

Registered on December 2, 2008, 416 Posts, 4450 Comments

Comment posted by Sharon Hallowell on August 21, 2011 at 8:42 PM

Nice! Rules are meant to be broken and this is a fine example of composition that doesn't follow the rule of thirds. Nice bird, too! Sharon

Registered on November 1, 2003, 392 Posts, 4810 Comments

Comment posted by Barbara Graham on August 21, 2011 at 11:07 PM

The larger version shows the beauty of this image, the light, the details, and the perch is really, really nice.

Registered on July 27, 2010, 1310 Posts, 5035 Comments

Comment posted by Brian Gatlin on August 21, 2011 at 11:43 PM

sweet light, Rich, and I like the curving branch and how you used it.

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

Comment posted by Gary Gulash on August 22, 2011 at 1:13 AM

Nice warm light really contrasts well with the somewhat unusual dark grey sky. This species isn't colorful but they are really attractive for some reason. I guess I'm one of those "some" that may have a problem with the centered placement, it isn't ideal to my eye. Having said that I can't think of a better way to approach the situation.

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

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on August 22, 2011 at 2:13 AM

Sweet light - the centered comp works perfectly here because of that great branch. Your usual fine detail and a great pose to show off that shrike beak. Another MONTH of 100 degrees plus?

My sympathy..
Sandy

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

Comment posted by Ron Dudley on August 22, 2011 at 9:22 AM

Rich, wonderful light and thorny curved perch. I think comp could work well either way and I like this very much as presented.

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

Comment posted by May Haga on August 22, 2011 at 4:24 PM

Very nice Richard. Lots of detail in the feathers on the large image. Really like the curved perch.
May

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

Comment posted by Ray Whitt on August 22, 2011 at 6:07 PM

Love the perch and the warm light, nice pose and excellent details.

Ray

Registered on May 27, 2011, 92 Posts, 2619 Comments

Comment posted by Ken Archer on August 22, 2011 at 7:18 PM

Great bird in sweet light, excellent detail. Sweet photo Richard

Ken Archer

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

Comment posted by Dan Walters on August 22, 2011 at 10:07 PM

Very nice perch and light. Would like to see a little more detail around the eye.

Registered on October 30, 2005, 405 Posts, 3693 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on August 23, 2011 at 10:16 PM

Lovely light, Richard. I like the curve of the perch and the thorns are very appropriate.

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

Comment posted by Steve Balke on August 24, 2011 at 8:49 PM

Quite an adorable little bird, sitting there all alone on that thorny, bare branch, Richard. I like how the horizontal portion of the branch runs parallel to the black line of mask on the face of the bird and how the tail forms a perpendicular. Some neat geometry in this comp. Very appealing image.

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