contrary redpoll

For several weeks now, I have been trying to photograph an assortment of garden birds on my nice new mossy perch, but the vast majority will insist on standing on the sawn-off end. When redpolls set up camp on the niger feeder a couple of weeks ago I had a nice shot of them among the alder cones in mind and gradually weaned them on to a nicely positioned branch specially selected for the job. Today I tried for my first photographs and every one insisted on using the mossy branch instead! Sorry John.
40D 100-400@400
iso 640; 1/400; f5.6
small crop from rhs for comp.
processed with bibble/noise ninja/cs3
C&C very welcome

A really good looking image. Good details & comp. A nice perch does make for a better image & this works here.

Lee

Colours looks a little muted and also the primaries soft on my monitor. From a compositional point of view I would crop off some of the L.H. side, about halfway between tail and edge of frame.

Still a very nice shot and well worth going back for more.

Hi Eric, I like this shot a lot.
You shot this at f 5,6. I have the same lens and I know its a bit weak at 400 at 5,6.
So I never go lower than f8. Gives more brilliance.
I know its always the old game ..... ISO - speed - f
Bertl

LOL they never go where you want them to! A very nice image indeed. If it were mine I would crop a little on the left and leave space in front of the bird to make it less central in the frame. Still like the image a lot, and wish it were mine

Fran

Thanks for the comments, I will try that Bertl - just as soon as the sun comes out, probably in July
I tried to crop this so that it was looking back into the frame, I shall be interested to see which crop is the most popular. I know it is a bit subjective, but a few different views never hurt.
Eric

Love the lighting and the pastel type colours. I'm undecided re the crop, I dont dislike it as it is.

Tony

that's a nice one Eric, and a bird I've never photographed. I think this is a difficult one to crop - if the bird were looking to the right I would certainly say crop some from the left. But given the direction of the bird's head I think you need some space on both the left and the right. In other words I think you've got it about right!

Matt

I hope you will accept these comments in the spirit with which they offered which is to point out how you may be able to improve the quality of your images in the future. As Bertl has also pointed out in a very nice way, I think this image illustrates very well the softness of the 100-400 shot wide open at maximum extension. I think you could have reduced the shutter speed and used a smaller aperture and this would have produced a better image. Again, as Bertl has indicated, f8 is probably the maximum aperture that you want to use when photographing small birds at, or near minimum focus distance; personally I rarely use an aperture larger than f11. In addition to the general softness, the moss in front of the bird in also definitely sharper than the moss behind, so your camera body may also be front-focusing. Although you will not be able to adjust it yourself, you should be able to check the focus - see THIS SITE.

Also, a word about mossy perches. It is very unusual to get this type of moss growing on a branch unless that branch has been lying on the ground for a long time covered by vegetation. I would caution against manufacturing elaborate props as the result is often inappropriate in the context of the image.

I'm sure it's only a matter of time before the image you envisage comes together.
I'm always a little uncertain how best to frame these types of shots regarding whether to have more space in front of, or behind the bird when they're looking backwards like this.
Leaving him central was a good compromise I reckon.

Very nicely composed image, Eric. Good detail and a nice perch.