Critique Chaffinch - no PP - straight out of D7100

[BillN_33]

Morning All
What do you guys think
Front on view are always difficult for me
For once I seem to have got the exposure correct
1/640sec at f6.3 @ ISO 560 + 2/3EV
300mm f2.8
tripod

I know the leaf is it the way -more interested if you think any PP will help - and how you would crop
bird looks colourless and bland but that's the way it was

original then crop - for you to consider

 

[BRASH]

Not bothered too much about he leaf. Said it before and I'll say it again, birds frequent trees, trees have branches and leaves. It's not obscuring the head of the subject so I can live with that. Get over it. The crop looks compositionally fine and an occasion when the bird is head on so central is good. It is a tad over-exposed and as you have indicated needs a lift. Personally in Lightroom I'd add a bit of clarity, vibrance, contrast and fiddle with the highlights/shadows/whites/blacks sliders to finalise it.

It'll not take much PP. Now trot off and get it sorted, there's a good lad.

 

[BRASH]

Not too bothered about the leaf. I've said it before and I'll say it again, birds frequent trees, trees have branches and leaves and it's not obscuring the subjects head so no biggie. Get over it.

Compositionally the crop looks fine. Occasions where the subject is head on, central is good but as you rightly indicate it needs a lift.

It is a tad over-exposed and personally in Lightroom I'd add clarity, vibrance and contrast. To finalise it I'd fiddle with the highlights/shadows/whites/blacks slider for a bit of fine tuning.

It doesn't need too much PP so don't over do it.

Now trot off and get it sorted, there's a good lad

 

[BillN_33]

Not too much - the histogram says I've moved it over to the left a little - pushed vibrance up and clarity, pulled highlights back and contrast - hardly did anything to the shadows and left the WB as is


Playing with the WB as below will make the biggest difference - but the female Chaff is more of a greyi rather than a browni - I think!

cold out here today - I'm back into chainsaws and log chopping mode ….. even though the Redstarts have started to "up" their activity levels ……. one of them was trying to fly through, well into, a new perspex window I put in one of the barns last winter