Hi Craig,
I like the way the sparowhawk is partially obscured by the branches it really conveys this birds behaviour,the way he keeps still and silent in an over-looking tree, with his stare firmly locked (as shown here) on his next potential victim.
The hidden tip of the beak doesn't really bother me as the eye is clear which is the main consideration.
The soft light was a bit of a blessing here,because any harsh shadows falling on the bird from the surrounding branches may have ruined the image,had the sun been shining.
Have you cropped the image at all,because if so I think I'd prefer to have the whole of the bird in the frame if possible?
Hopefully the bird may return and you'll get some further oppurtunities,fingers crossed.
Posted by Craig Nash on November 19, 2006 at 4:05 PM
No cropping whatsoever. If anything I would have been better off with a 300mm lens.
Posted by Helge Sorensen on November 20, 2006 at 4:03 PM
Hi Craig, I'm always happy just getting a photo of a perched Sparrowhawk. Obviously this image could have been better in various ways, but the soft ligth and sharp eye saves it. I think you could experiment with a different crop, ex. a vertical where you cut a bit more off the bird, so you end up with more like a headshot.
I wonder - if you used single shot autofocus and moved the lens after, to recomp' the bird higher in the frame, it would have worked a little better though?
Discussion
4 repliesI like the way the sparowhawk is partially obscured by the branches it really conveys this birds behaviour,the way he keeps still and silent in an over-looking tree, with his stare firmly locked (as shown here) on his next potential victim.
The hidden tip of the beak doesn't really bother me as the eye is clear which is the main consideration.
The soft light was a bit of a blessing here,because any harsh shadows falling on the bird from the surrounding branches may have ruined the image,had the sun been shining.
Have you cropped the image at all,because if so I think I'd prefer to have the whole of the bird in the frame if possible?
Hopefully the bird may return and you'll get some further oppurtunities,fingers crossed.
I like this shot alot too.
I wonder - if you used single shot autofocus and moved the lens after, to recomp' the bird higher in the frame, it would have worked a little better though?
Regards