Townsend's Solitaire

Gerald I like this alot. You are showing the bird trying to get its balance in a place you would expect to find one.

We get them here in Minneapolis every once in a while.

Regards,

Terry

I really like it too Gerald, though I do think I'd like it more if that wasn't in front of the wing. Especially since its much more in focus than the wing, because its really grabbing my eye farther forward than back to the bird. Does it totally ruin the image? No, but I think it does hurt it a little. Even still its a nice shot though and I'd be happy to have it as my own.

I love the bird with this BG and the red berries but think the branches in front of the wing are distracting. I'd go try to find this guy again if you can because the gray & red together are really beautiful!

Gerald,

The berries make an excellent setting for this guy. Less branches would make it even better, but at least you have a clear view of the face and that is what is most important. Very nice shot.

A fine habitat shot, Gerald. My only wish would be no sticks in front of the wing - but that's minor.

Concur with the others. I like the pose of the Solitaire, the twigs & berries and the over-all wintery color tone. The branch & berries on the right isn't fatal to the image by any stretch, but by position, focus and color it is a distracting element. I do like the composition aside from that.

I don't know what your stance is on Photoshopery. If it was me, I'd have a go at pushing that RH branch & berries behind the wing and blur it to the same level as the left-most OOF branch & berries. Or do like Kim suggests and try to locate the bird again.

In any event, nice shot of a species I'd like to see more often.

I like this shot very much. It is dynamic and the Solitaire is not an easy bird to find/photograph. I feel that being the head in clear focus is the most important part ... and it is sharp as a tack! The wing is beautiful and I do not mind the branches in front much. What I would prefer is a less busy BG. Rather than cloning those branches in front of the wing, I would leave just the bird and the berries/branches in focus and would get rid of the OOF branches. Find it easier for the viewer to focus on the bird this way. And easier PS work as well! In any event, it is a beautiful capture Gerald! Wish it were mine!

Gerald -

This is the kind of shot that deserves much discussion. Some would rather have the bird on a single stick with nothing in the BG or the FG. The FG and BG sticks give the image depth and a sense of place, IMO.
The image is real life. Someone will always come up with a more perfect "field guide" shot, but this should not be critiqued as if it were one. It's a capture of a moment in the life of this individual bird.
A fine image.

- Paul

Gerald,
I agree that it would be better without the branches in front, but I still like it a great deal.

Good discussion. I agree 100% that this image has merit on its own terms; not everything is or should be a "postcard shot." Although this would make a nice fine art print IMO.

With Gerald's kind permission, here is a demo repost along the lines of my previous comments.
Nothing fancy, just moving the branch & berries on the RHS into the apparent BG with a small amount of cloning (healing brush over the wing), followed by a bit of selective low-radius gaussian blurring (which could be done a little better to match up with the LHS). I think this sort of thing helps open up the bird re: the comments about the branch in front of the wing, without impacting the integrity of the image in a material way.

The wing has nice form & motion to it, and also adds a nice perpendicular line to the Solitaire's body. Without the branch being a potentially distracting focal element in the FG overlaying the wing, the eye can now explore the bird and its primary perch as the main subject, while still appreciating them in context of the branches & berries on both sides.

Just some fodder for consideration...

Thanks for everyone's comments & suggestions. A lot of interesting discussion.

Royce, thanks for the repost. I appreciate your efforts. Toning down that branch seems to help. I admit to cloning out distracting branches from time to time, but this was beyond my rather weak PS skills.

As Kim mentioned it would be nice to relocate the bird & try again, but Elk Island is a large park. Unfortunately, when I saw this bird I was on my way to a family function & couldn't spend as much time with it as I would've liked.

Paul brought up the fact that some people may prefer a perfectly clean image. While I enjoy those shots as much as anyone, the birder in me still likes a shot like this as well, because thats how you often see the birds - immersed in habitat.

Nice shot Gerald. I would prefer to have the bird without the branches but it does not ruin the image IMO.

Thegray and red work well together. I only wish that the stick was not in front of the wing.

Had to put my money where my mouth is! And by the way, it was easier said than done, specially when working with a mouse. This is what I had thought when I first saw the image: the bird is entering the berry bushes and that is why I do not mind the branches in front. Also, these thin and pretty branches do not obstruct the viewing of the bird's wing and body, IMO; and I rather remove the stuff around than touching the subject. I also feel that if one branch has to go, then all in front should go as well. Please do not be too brutal with me, it would take several days to do this right!

Again, I wish the original were mine. It is a beautiful capture of a bird that I have yet to see.

And thanks Gerald for granting me the permission for posting this image.

Thanks for the repost Ligia. I can only imagine how long that took!

Definately gives a different look, much cleaner. If a person went that far I would consider taking out the one tallest branch on the right.

I usually don't have the patience for that much intricate work!