Black & White Warbler (female)

Hi there

The following are my views;
Overall a nice image and you have handled the backlighting well. Backlighting adds impact to an image and gives a depth to the picture.

The bird is well captured
Try to avoid highlights in the background as they distract the viewers eyes away from the subject.
I regard the perch as part of the bird and it should be in focus as well. Your primary perch is fine but there is another twig further in front that is a bit distracting. Our (bird photographers) eyes and brain are programmed to have all the primary interest in an image sharp
I realise you are new and all of us are budget-constrained. I find a longer focal length lens is better for birding and enables you to control the background better.

Kind regards
Graeme

Graeme Guy wrote:Hi there

The following are my views;
Overall a nice image and you have handled the backlighting well. Backlighting adds impact to an image and gives a depth to the picture.

The bird is well captured
Try to avoid highlights in the background as they distract the viewers eyes away from the subject.
I regard the perch as part of the bird and it should be in focus as well. Your primary perch is fine but there is another twig further in front that is a bit distracting. Our (bird photographers) eyes and brain are programmed to have all the primary interest in an image sharp
I realise you are new and all of us are budget-constrained. I find a longer focal length lens is better for birding and enables you to control the background better.

Kind regards
Graeme

Thank you very much for your kind words and thoughtful critique, Graeme. I appreciate them and will remember your comments about all primary interests being sharp and advice on focal length. I will start saving.

Matt

She's a little beauty Matt, a nice alert pose, bright eye and lovely detail of her colours and markings.

Graeme is an amazing photographer and has given some good advice, as always.   All I will add,  is that the lens I use most for wildlife is a 100-300 F4, and for more reach I add a 1.4xTC to give me more options.  I love the versatility of the zoom lens which has helped me get shots that others with bigger glass - 500 etc, can't get in frame, plus the camera and zoom is all I want to carry around, especially with a tripod too!    Just my two cents worth.  

Carol Clarke wrote:She's a little beauty Matt, a nice alert pose, bright eye and lovely detail of her colours and markings.

Graeme is an amazing photographer and has given some good advice, as always.   All I will add,  is that the lens I use most for wildlife is a 100-300 F4, and for more reach I add a 1.4xTC to give me more options.  I love the versatility of the zoom lens which has helped me get shots that others with bigger glass - 500 etc, can't get in frame, plus the camera and zoom is all I want to carry around, especially with a tripod too!    Just my two cents worth.  

Thank you for the advice, Carol. I appreciate it. When I ask photographers about their favorite lenses, I often get "all of them" or "it depends." So much to learn ; )

Matt

Lovely pose, nice clear subject. I think a bit of close cropping could get rid of a lot of the things Graeme has mentioned (bright light in the background, and an out of focus branch). My favorite device for backlit photos (other than a Better Beamer, which I never have time to attach at the right moment, it seems), is to use photoshop or similar shadow/highlight function, with some caution. (Sometimes it gets better, sometimes worse.) Curves is also a very useful editing function for balancing darks and lights-you might find the slightest bit more gleam in the eye with some fussing.
As for lenses , it's always a matter of so many factors, weight being one of them in my case. I've heard great things about the new 100-400 II.