Posted by Kevin Lewis on April 9, 2006 at 11:22 AM
Taken in the Forest of Dean at 7am. Tempted a group of them in with hazelnuts :)
Taken in portrait and cropped square (image left full width)
Canon 1DMkII N
Canon 600mm + 12mm extension tube
1/125@f11 iso 200 raw (more dof would have been better but it was still too early).
Very tight in the frame, I seriously underestimated the size of these birds but luckily this one obliged by turning its head into the frame
Hi Kevin,
As you say, a little bit more DOF would have been great but you have to work with what you have got!
Very nice pose. Some will say too tight but, personally, I like to get up close and see the detail. Excellent sharpness around the head and nice OOF background.
Nice shot.
Really great shot Kevin!
I have never managed a shot of a Jay yet.
I think the 600mm on it's own would be the Perfect distance for a bird the size of a Jay.
I was using the 12mm to get a closer focussing distance for some smaller birds lol The Jay just decided the perch I was using for them was ideal for itself approx 12'-15' away. Even at 20' I think the jay would be a frame filler :)
OK I'm going to say it... a bit tight for my taste, but focus is spot on with a great bg, the lack of DoF does not bother me, there is a lot you could do here, as the bg is nice and plain it would be easy to manufacture a bit of space around the bird and play with different comps...
Posted by John Chapman on April 10, 2006 at 4:39 AM
Hi Kevin
a beautiful bird.
John
Aberdeen
Posted by Kevin Lewis on April 10, 2006 at 2:58 PM
I actually find the bg very dull in comparison to the same bg lit up by the sun. The bracken just explodes with colour :-)
Fantastic, my favourite corvid, i'm seeing more and more here in the city, but they are very hard to nail down. I like the BG, it shows how well the jay blends into its environment
Posted by Elliott Neep on April 12, 2006 at 12:46 PM
I love it! I see these in my garden every day hanging off the feeder. This is exactly the look they give me when I disturb them on to the fence! Like the tight pose and colours. A great take on a common sight (but rarely photographed well). A good portrait should focus on and capture the spirit of the subject and that's exactly what you have done.
Discussion
9 repliesTaken in portrait and cropped square (image left full width)
Canon 1DMkII N
Canon 600mm + 12mm extension tube
1/125@f11 iso 200 raw (more dof would have been better but it was still too early).
Very tight in the frame, I seriously underestimated the size of these birds but luckily this one obliged by turning its head into the frame
You have done well to find an area where the background is a similar colour to the Jay,Nice and sharp where it needs to be and a nice pose
As you say, a little bit more DOF would have been great but you have to work with what you have got!
Very nice pose. Some will say too tight but, personally, I like to get up close and see the detail. Excellent sharpness around the head and nice OOF background.
Nice shot.
Cheers,
Roy.
I have never managed a shot of a Jay yet.
I think the 600mm on it's own would be the Perfect distance for a bird the size of a Jay.
OK I'm going to say it... a bit tight for my taste, but focus is spot on with a great bg, the lack of DoF does not bother me, there is a lot you could do here, as the bg is nice and plain it would be easy to manufacture a bit of space around the bird and play with different comps...
a beautiful bird.
John
Aberdeen
Elliott