Cardinals Cropped.

[ennacac]

I like the second and third ones, one cropped and one not. The red and green go great together without giving it a Christmas look.

Tom

[danielchtong]

The cropped version. Cardinals are particularly difficult to get them nailed down as they take off real fast.

Great capture

Daniel

[Corpsy]

I agree with Tom. I like the Cardinal shot uncropped because I think the scene has an interesting look to it and the crop itself isn't all that sharp. The feeder shot definitely looks better cropped. If I was going to crop the cardinal shot though, I think I'd try cropping it so he's sitting in the bottom left corner of the image like Scott said, only I wouldn't get as close. I'd try to retain the tree in the background in the upper right corner, it provides nice contrast and a sense of depth compared to the sunlit leaves.

[Dal1970]

Love the last one, just as it is.


Darren

[bigdawg]

So far this is very interesting. I'm taking in all the critiques. This is how I learn. Thank you everyone for the honest and kind comments.

Dawg

[Trojansoc]

I definitely like the close crops better. One of the things that makes cardinals so distinctive is their crown, and the closer crop gives you far better image detail on the feathers of the back of the head. I agree that taking the bird off center in the crop could put it more in realistic context.

Cadinals are such great subjects. The red and black contrasts on their bodies, coupled with the habit of landing in attractive trees lends to great shots. They "rule" my yard, and I keep telling my wife, I have far too many cardinal pics, and I'm goig to shoot something else. But, just then, a particularly bright one will land close by and strike a pose that just says, "S'hoot me!"

[bigdawg]

Trojansoc wrote:

I definitely like the close crops better. One of the things that makes cardinals so distinctive is their crown, and the closer crop gives you far better image detail on the feathers of the back of the head. I agree that taking the bird off center in the crop could put it more in realistic context.

Cadinals are such great subjects. The red and black contrasts on their bodies, coupled with the habit of landing in attractive trees lends to great shots. They "rule" my yard, and I keep telling my wife, I have far too many cardinal pics, and I'm goig to shoot something else. But, just then, a particularly bright one will land close by and strike a pose that just says, "S'hoot me!"

I agree with you on all points..The one in the tree shows his beard which usually doesn't stand out from the body. I was just amazed that I got such a clean photo with a 200mm lens from 60-80 feet away! They don't rule here as I've a whole gaggle of different birds but the red color is so striking in dark green foliage.

Dawg