Too Much Detail
Friends, this image of a ruffed grouse in a birch tree illustrates a common problem when photographing birds in their environment, too much detail around the bird. However, the eye was sharp and had a highlight and the light had a reasonable angle so I decided to show it to you today. After risking our lives by stopping on a blacktop road and scurrying around on the shoulders, I thought maybe the image had some merit. The grouse love the birch buds this time of year (winter) and are often perched among the branches eating their fill. til Tomorrow MJ
Posted on January 6, 2013, in Birds, Crex Meadows, Nature, photography and tagged birch tree, birds, buds, Crex Meadows, grouse, mjspringett, nature, photography, postaday, ruffed grouse, winter. Bookmark the permalink. 3 Comments.
MJ Springett 
Since you were shooting with a Canon 7D with a 400mm lens aboard maybe F/9 could have been lowered to F/5.6 to blur the background further. 1/500″ shutter speed was a good choice and I’m assuming you have your gear sturdily mounted on a good tripod.
I personally don’t prefer to blur busy backgrounds with software but OnOne’s Software Focalpoint 2 does a decent job of it. The bird looks a tad soft on my monitor but that may be due to a number of factors.
I know what you go through to get a wildlife shot so I understand sometimes just the capture, regardless of technical considerations, is what counts. If you take the time to make everything perfect you lose the shot. Thanks for your blog & posts. I’m a follower & fan. – Bob
What a photographer goes through to get THAT shot!
I liked it. The bird is nicely centered in an open spot and is very pretty. If I were to remove anything it would be the branch that is in front of the bird and coming down from above. It is a great example of the bird in it’s natural habitat.