Am I fluffy Or ??

Critiques [Translate]

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• cjcampbell (308)
• [2007-02-22 11:57]

Okay, you took this handheld with a 500mm lens? Pretty darned good.

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• claudine (0)
• [2007-02-22 11:58]

Hello Gert,
You have said fluffy? It is indeed :) Those creatures know how to resist our cold winters. I love those details, beautiful lightning, colors and this superb blue BG. OK, the tail is not complete but I understand and t is a so sharp capture with this so lovely light in its eye that viewer’s focus is more on its eye than on its tail :) I wish I can see this specie someday. This is superb. Thanks,
Claudine

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• elefantino (14381)
• [2007-02-22 12:07]

Amazing details, pose and light of this pic.
This little bird is lovely!

Andrea

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• Tamrock (3559)
• [2007-02-22 12:22]

hej gert!
nice capture
close with really good sharpness
and fine exposure
good work!

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• oki (584)
• [2007-02-22 12:33]
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• Alex99 (18399)
• [2007-02-22 12:34]

Hi Gert.
I like work of your new lens so much. Crisp sharpness of the main subject and great BG. Beautifulness of colour palette is fantastic as well as the whole pictured scene. I only modestly bemoan over a tip of a tail. . Perfect done and TFS.
Alexei.

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• Argus (34473)
• [2007-02-22 12:57]

Hej,
Lovely light and sharpness in this wintery capture of a Redpoll. Excellent BG and comp., but as you say, one can get too close with a 500 mm lens! The quality of the shot with this lens is superb and you hand held the camera!
TFS,
Hälsningar,
Ivan

Snöstormen fortsätter....vidrigt!

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• stevkds (1789)
• [2007-02-22 13:12]

Very well done. Excuse in shortness. TFS. Stev

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• Debz (3307)
• [2007-02-22 13:36]

Lovely shot of such a pretty bird. I am interested in the Red chest. Beautifull POV, sharpness without loosing the fluff, and wonderful DOF. Charming shot.

TFS

Debz

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• snowfalken (1788)
• [2007-02-22 15:20]
• [4] [+]

Hello Gert,

Just beautiful! This fluffy little bird is definitely conserving his energy to fight against cold!

Composition:

Basically the composition is good, I just feel I would step one step back. How ironic! I struggle for weeks to get closer to a group of finches in our neighborhood forest and never succeed and you manage to get so close that it becomes difficult to frame the entire bird! One step closer and you could have captured a portrait of this cute Red Poll. I have to learn this technique too!
The location where you placed the bird within the picture was carefully chosen, allowing enough space in front for the bird to look into. Also the blurred background is very appropriate to draw attention to the subject. A smaller aperture would have made the branches in the background distracting.

Color:

The colors in your picture are well saturated and natural. When I saw our pictures side by side I realized how important it is to have a nice blue background. It adds appeal to the picture and usually makes a great combination with any other color, especially with the red and white in the red poll's plumage.

Contrast:

The contrast between the white feathers of the bird and the darker colors in the background helps isolating the subject. It's always better to have lower contrast in the background and a stronger one in the subject!

Exposure:

Excellent camera work! Probably the fact that the bird was less active than usually made you choose the Av-mode so you could have great control of the DOF. The exposure is perfect, with no under- or overexposed areas and with great details in both highlights and shadows.

Focus:

The bird is perfectly in focus and the details are tack sharp. Actually it is so sharp that I can feel the crawls sting like a needle :)

Overall a great post with a very good note! You gave me new energy to go out and photograph some nice birds. Thank you my friend!

With Friendly Regards,
Eddie

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• jaycee (21912)
• [2007-02-22 15:31]

Hi Gert,

He IS fluffy. And it is a beautiful picture. Wonderful colors, marvelous details - I love it.

Jane

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• SelenE (13770)
• [2007-02-22 16:42]

Hello Gert,
I don't mind about the cut tail either. The focus, sharpness, colors and lighting is superb. The pose you caught is very cute. Very well done. TFS
Selen

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• JORAPAVI (4627)
• [2007-02-22 16:43]

Hola Gert,
Una captura muy bella de gran nitidez y excelente fondo e iluminación. Un cordial saludo

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• Luis52 (12751)
• [2007-02-22 17:42]

Hola Geret.- Muy agradable foto, muy nitida y con bellos colores de este pequeño ave. Saludos Luis52.

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• Adanac (17607)
• [2007-02-22 18:42]

Hello Gert,
Looks like he is good to -40, what an excellent capture, with amazing details and fantastic color. This is just outstanding thanks for sharing with us.
Rick

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• manyee (20978)
• [2007-02-23 1:24]

Talk about a fluffy one, Gert. : )
It really amazes me how much birds can puff themselves up.
It must work, for them to withstand the temperatures that you speak of.
The sharpness in the feathers is absolutely terrific.
And those little claws look like they can cause some damage.
The exposure is perfect, putting just the right light on the subject.
The blue BG really isolates the bird well.
TFS. : )

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• anel (15342)
• [2007-02-23 3:29]

Hallo Gert,
Just so touching this Red Poll trying to resist to the cold. Excellent composition and sharpness, like always. Magnifique blue background.
Best regards
Anne

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• simon182 (1455)
• [2007-02-23 3:55]
• [+]

Hey Gert,

Great shot, don't worry about the tail I don't think it is an issue in this photo, I hadn't even noticed till you mentioned it. I was focused on the big ball of fluff in the middle! As I said to Eduard your shots are quite similar both showing birds who'd rather be in the warm!
Excellent detail and composition. He looks a bit grumpy! I wonder what's up with his eye? Looks like a scar or bald mark.

Well done
TFS
Simon

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• uleko (2429)
• [2007-02-23 4:56]

Hi Gert,
Your birds are suffering from the cold while down here our birds are struggling in the blizzard! Your capture of this little one looking really cold is wonderful, sharp details and lovely colours against the blue sky. Beautiful light and a very nice composition.
TFS and best wishes, Ulla

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• fiyo (10472)
• [2007-02-23 5:18]

Hello Gert,
Great capture.POV,lighting,BG,pose of bird and details are excellent.TFS

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• marmottelolo (14687)
• [2007-02-23 5:56]

bonjour gert
la queue se trouve coupée,mais avec de tels details dans le plumage c'est difficile de ne pas etre en admiration.
superbes couleurs.
bravo.
laurent

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• RAP (7405)
• [2007-02-23 13:48]

Coincido plenamente con las apreciaciones de Eddie querido amigo... que bueno es poder expresar todo eso en perfecto inglés sin problemas de traducción!.
Bella captura, con todo el talento y la pasión que nos regalas hace años.
Mis mejores saludos... Ricardo

I coincide fully with Eddie's appreciations dear friend... that good it is to be able to express all that in perfect English without problems of translation!.
Beautiful capture, with the whole talent and the passion that you have given us for years.
My best regards... Ricardo

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• Janice (18646)
• [2007-02-23 14:51]

What a beautiful bundle of fluff he is, Gert. He looks so cold and ir trying to keep war. Wonderful capture my friend,
Janice

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• Hil (5027)
• [2007-02-24 10:33]

Hi Gert,

Beautiful shot, nicely composed shot and a excellent POV, I like the pose with the Fluffed up Feather and the little claws grasping onto its perch, the detail is nice and sharp yet your have also managed to capture the softness of the feathers, beautiful colours too.

TFS Hilary :o)

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• bobair (4990)
• [2007-02-25 21:52]

Hi Gert,
I can't add much in the way of a critique so I won't,however I want you to have a couple of points for this wonderful little bird.I took some photos of Redpolls today and got my second photo of a Bald Eagle as a bonus.Nicely detailed photo. Bob

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• loot (9861)
• [2007-03-01 21:52]
• [2]

Hi Gert

Wow, it took me an age to get here, but at least I finally made it.

That Tamron is doing the trick. It sure is a fabulous result of this little ruffled-up fluff-ball. I just did a critique on Eduard Baak’s (snowfalken) little ball-of-feathers shaped in the image of a house sparrow where I told him this little story:-

"Reading your notes about the freezing conditions made me think of a story I heard today on the radio that illustrates the ability of down and feathers to insulate and protect birds against the cold. The story goes about a hunter (somewhere in America) that shot a duck for the pot. Apparently he did not have time to skin or clean the bird and placed it all intact in the refrigerator until the next day. The big surprise came when his wife opened up the fridge the next morning only to find that the duck was still alive. Before the hunter could slaughter the bird his wife took it to a nearby animal rescue facility where it was found that the duck was only slightly wounded in the breast which made it to tumble out of the air and fall itself into a state of unconsciousness whereby the hunter thought that the duck was dead." So it seems like birds are truly well protected and shielded to deal with the cold. No wonder we use their feathers to make our eiderdowns.

This little redpoll is super sharp. Every piece of detail is clearly visible on this fantastic shot. The composition, BG, colours, and exposure are all outstanding.

Well done and TFS.
Regards
Loot