This is my first post on this amazing site. I am looking forward to viewing images from around the world and learning from the best. I shot this female Rose-breasted Grosbeak in my backyard around 9:30 AM. She was much more accommodating than the cagey male.
File name IMG_7244.CR2
Camera Model Canon EOS 50D
Shooting Date/Time 5/1/2015 9:25:23 AM
Owner's Name Elizabeth Holbrook
Shooting Mode Shutter-Priority AE
Tv(Shutter Speed) 1/1250
Av(Aperture Value) 5.6
Metering Mode Evaluative Metering
Exposure Compensation -1
ISO Speed 160
Auto ISO Speed ON
Lens EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM
Focal Length 250.0mm
Comments
4 commentsWelcome to NPN Elizabeth,
Outstanding first post of a beautiful female. The detail, the perch and the back ground are all excellent. The large version is a 'Must See'. Your photography skills have progressed at an amazing rate since we have been working together this past year. Your enthusiasm is inspiring and your dedication is obvious in the work you are now producing. I'm very excited you decided to join NPN, this community of photographers will help take your skills to the next level as it did for me and your contributions will be appreciated by all.
Well done . . .
Welcome aboard, Elizabeth. This is a great place to learn. Nice detail in the Grosbeak. I like your diagonal perch and the hanging bark adds to it for me. The eye contact from the Grosbeak and the catchlight are plusses. The nicely mottled oof bg also adds to the image.
I do think you could bring the exposure up just a bit without overexposing the whites-it looks just a bit dark on my monitor. Ideally, it would have been nice to reframe the image after focusing to put the bird just a bit further toward the upper left corner to get away from the center and over the sweet spot at the 1/3 point.
I looked at your shooting parameters as well. Most, but not all, bird photographers tend to use aperture priority and let the shutter speed vary. Since we usually want a fairly high shutter speed, we'll choose the highest iso setting that doesn't produce too much noise. By controlling the aperture, you can control the depth of field to get the kind of detail and/or smooth background you want.
Hope this isn't too much,
Elizabeth:
Welcome to NPN. Glad you joined us and posted this image. Good details. Overall exposure looks good, but just a tad on the dark side for me. Dennis hit the composition issue that would make this even stronger.
Looking forward to your images, and also your comments on other photographers work. Please jump and and become a contributor on both sides, sharing and commenting.
Thank you for the comments and encouragement. I'm here to learn and share photography.