Hi to everyone here, I took this shots last week at sunset, with a 100-400 on a40d.
unfortunately i was quite fire a i had to crop heavily

I'm pretty new to bird photography so any comment would be really appreciated.
Cristiano







see more here: my flickr

These are lovely photographs, composition and lighting-wise, especially the third one (eye contact!). What is bothering me however is the bland and muddy background, which makes it look like shot in a studio, which further makes the whole set look artificial.

nice start Cristiano,, they can be difficult critters and to obtain the fine feather detail can take a lot of photos learning,,

if you have a chance visit, here is the site of the Birdforum, members are from around the globe and a wealth of information,,

http://www.birdforum.net/forum.php

Derry

Slobodan, yes you right about the background, but at the same time is what gives these shot the painted feeling which i like it.
Definitely this set is not a good documentary. I have to improve a lot especially my hiding skills.. in order to get closer and capture more authentic shots.
Thanks again for your feedback, an congratulations for your photos on flickr.

Derry thanks for the link you posted, i really need to improve more my knowledge about the subject, i will check the link, it seems very interesting so thanks again.

Cristiano

I think I made some progress, these were shot in the morning, unfortunately they don't hate that painted look but are less cropped and sharper.
Please let me know
Cristiano

The Kiss

Out of curiosity, how do you get the background colored like that?

P.S. Thanks for the compliment regarding my Flickr photos

For the background i use Lightroom, I just desaturate the sky, add vignetting and a bit of split toning for the hightlight for warmer tones.

What does it look like before you start fiddling with it? I ask only because like Slobodan I really don't think it's very good as you have it now and, given your achievement in capturing the birds, that's a shame.

Jeremy

I agree with Jeremy. As is, they look as if they are stuffed birds photographed in a museum. I would much rather see a real sky behind them.