A couple for critique

[ArkAngel]

Hiya

A couple of wee birdee's caught today messing around with the new monster.

I know what i think is wrong with them but i am open to other comments.

My thoughts.

Not enough depth of field (working at 300mm f5.6) needs to have more depth although today the conditions just weren't great for light (200th/sec f5.6 @1600ISO!!!)

 

[John Fenna]

Too tightly cropped for my taste - if you had the eye at the junction of lines cutting the picture into thirds it would be more "classicallt" perfect...if you see what I mean.
For my eye the depth of field is perfect.
In the top one the bird is sticking its tonue out - how very rude!
Great pickies mate!

 

[BigShot]

Just in case you didn't quite grasp what John said about thirds...
...draw a Noughts and Crosses board over the picture, pictures are generally more pleasing if major elements of them are either along those lines or at the intersections.

Imagine those lines in the viewfinder of your camera and you'll be able to make a more pleasing composition from the start.
In fact, a lot of digital cameras will display the lines for you.

 

[Shambling Shaman]

hear what your saying - I wish I had a camera that I could get that close,
I like e'm

 

[ArkAngel]

The composition and cropping was set by the fact that any further to the left there is a horrible black line of a branch which i thought looked distracting. Any further to the right and you see the fat ball it was feeding off!!!



These are the original (and unadjusted) ones

 

[BigShot]

Just a thought, could you stick small bits of that fat ball onto a branch? That may be enough bait to get them in for the shot, but without the fatball net getting in the way.

I know you probably have the fatballs out to feed rather than as bait - but it might be something to try.

I've got 4 fatballs hanging from the washing line and a spotting scope trained on it to get a closer look when something comes in to feed. The first was a green finch, there have been a few great tits and some others too.

I might have to have a crack at photographing some of them soon.

 

[ArkAngel]

Yes today was just messing around to be honest.
There were 3 fatballs in the bush where i was photographing them (about 6 feet away out of the kitchen window). They spent most of the time on the one i couldn't get a shot of

Next time i'll probably remove all but one of them and as you suggested maybe 'coat' or wrap a branch with some of the fatbal instead of the net bag.

 

[VtBlackdog]

have you read about "digiscoping"? (google it)....great way to get really up close...

nice photo BTW!