Chaffinch, a photo from North Yorkshire, England

Photographer's Note

The chaffinch is the second commonest bird in the UK (the wood pigeon is the most common) It lives here all year round and is found in most places eg woodland, gardens etc.
When we had done the Daffodil Walk of my most recent posts (see here) we stopped at the Daffy Caffy (Yes that really is the name) for some lunch before walking back to the car. The chaffinches were very tame and this one came and sat on our table looking for crumbs. This is the closest it came; I haven’t had to crop too much off, but the zoom was fully extended. The background might be a bit dark. An alternative is in the WS but it is not so close.

I've just returned from a few days in Paris but have not had chance to download anything yet.

riclopes, ktanska, sayan, chefrancisco, peter1892, Tue, cherubin, Rossignol, weswang, singuanti, axiotea, eska, repaulson, Didi, anavazao, Flavia trouve(nt) cette note utile

Critiques | Translate

tjanze (5674) 2006-05-11 4:08

Hi Kath!
Good catch,very good sharpness and colors.

Paolo (41258) 2006-05-11 4:17

Hi Kath, what a beautiful portrait!
colorful and with a fantastic light and good focus on the small bird.
also the composition is excellent with that large dark part.
thanks, ciao

besnard (59196) 2006-05-11 4:33

Bonjour Kath
Il est bien joli ce petit oiseau de toutes les couleurs comme le dit Gilbert Bécaud dans sa chanson. Il n'a pas l'air effarouché et les couleurs sont magnifiques.
Merci pour le partage.
Amitiés
Nicole

riclopes (35577) 2006-05-11 4:40

Hi Kath,
Welcome back from Paris. Magnificent close-up shot of this bird, with extraordinary sharpness and colours, that shows us wonderful details. I like the dark background, which contrast nicely with its head. Excellent photo!
Ricardo

carper (96) 2006-05-11 4:40

Well Kath I go for the Workshop,
the quality of that shot is better and this on. On this one the composition is better but the glittering of the light on the head made the shot not so good. I hope you untherstand what I mean by that. farther good job.
gr. jaap

ktanska (44492) 2006-05-11 4:45

Hi Kath,
The low POV on the WS is better, but this beats it with the better direction of look and more details. Composition and background are fine. Again a bit oversharp for me. Feathers should be soft :)
Kari

efigesta (12188) 2006-05-11 4:45

Hi Kath

great macro here, with a nice pov and colors

regards
manuel

sayan (2617) 2006-05-11 5:15

Hi Kath,
What a beautiful portrait. Lovely angle, good saturated colour, perfect use of light! Overall a great composition.
Regards,
Sayan

eza1701 (3345) 2006-05-11 5:28

What a wonderful shot of a beautiful bird Kath. You've captured a tremendous amount of detail and it must have been pretty close to achieve that at 120mm.

Well done, I love it!

daddo (28748) 2006-05-11 5:37

Hi Kath. The sharpness of this image is wonderful. An ornithologist's dream. Beautiful colours and light. Well done. Klaudio

chefrancisco (752) 2006-05-11 6:34

Hi Kath!
Excellent 'feather'! (I'm referring both to the photographer and subject!) I love the colors and the composition considering that you might have had a hard time taking it to prevent the bird from flying away quickly. TFS!

Regards,
Che

rbcy1974 (20758) 2006-05-11 7:37

Hello Kath,
The details and colours of this bird are beautifuly caputres, I like the blurred background,
very well captured
Regards
Daniel

imrek (4) 2006-05-11 8:39

Hi Kath,
very good sharpness good colours and nice blur background...well done Kath!!!
regards,
imre

coco (30439) 2006-05-11 9:28

Hi Kath.
Nice colours and also nice subject.
Anyway, perhaps would be better not so centered as actually is.
Even, after say this last, I prefer the main photo. The POV is better than in WS.

Thanks for share.

Gerrit (62042) 2006-05-11 9:35

Hi Kath,
common but beautiful this bird, also in the gardens in Holland a well known visitor.
Good sharpness and definition.
Thanks and regards, Gerrit

pastadog (13111) 2006-05-11 10:18

Hi Kath, both shots are excellent, but I prefer the OV, the colors, DOF and sharpness are simply amazing, and the angle and the closeness contribute greatly to the powerful impact. TFS! Daniel

siolaw (38294) 2006-05-11 11:10

Hi Kath,
A nice photo of this little chaffinch, with natural looking colors ans sharp details.. the only thing is.. i would put him right in the middle but that is only my modest opinion!! i like it the same!
TFS
Laurent

sergio1 (12152) 2006-05-11 11:31

Wooow
Very nice momento. I like the animal picture. The sharp is the best and colours too.
Good work my friend
Sergio

peter1892 (1681) 2006-05-11 11:50

Hi Kath, good use of the zoom in getting this one. A very sharp image, the dark background isn't a problem for me at all, as the bird is focused perfectly.

plimrn (21344) 2006-05-11 11:53

Hi Kath,
You've shown this lovely fellow to good advantage; he doesn't look a bit common. Hope your trip to Paris was great.
Regards, Pat

rosaline (0) 2006-05-11 12:49

Hi Kath
Nice to see this Chaffinch. I can't honestly say I could recognise one if I saw one in my back garden as I have no knowledge of birds at all. But your treatment here is a good catch. Nice colour and good contrast. The timing is great. Well done.
Aubrey
PS hope you had a good time in Paris.

markstaples (15670) 2006-05-11 12:51

Hi Kath
The detail you have captured here is first class. You can really see the very fine make up of the plummage. The colours are spot on too. A great catch.
Best wishes
Mark

lukie (0) 2006-05-11 13:20

Hello Kath,

I always loved birds. I have the luck to live in a house where I can see and hear around the house those beautiful animals. Nice and sharp catch of this beautiful specimen.

regards,

Luc.

Tue (91700) 2006-05-11 16:58

Hej Kath,
What a fantastic shot of this cute little bird! Excellent quality and I love the nice colours! Very well done and thanks a lot for sharing!
Hilsen,
Lars

cherubin (1971) 2006-05-11 17:09

Hi Kath,
just excellent!
very nice work.
regards,
cherubin

Rossignol (2289) 2006-05-11 17:41

Superb capture, Kath. He's in beautiful summer plumage and this shot, and excellent lighting really show off the slatey blue of his head. Good sharp detail in the plumage and nice little catchlight in the eye. The narrow depth of field has been effective here, ensuring the background doesn't distract.
very well done.
Peter

weswang (18247) 2006-05-11 17:53

Hi Kath, An excellent portrait of the beautiful creature. You have well managed to take this sharp, clear, and detailed image. Well done.

singuanti (15250) 2006-05-11 22:14

Hi Kath. Wow what clarity and focus! I'm impressed you did this without much of a zoom lens. I'm looking forward to your Paris shots! Perfect shot Kath.

Graal (103040) 2006-05-12 2:26

Hi Kath,
very nice bird, photo good to TN. Unusual colours and superb sharp. I like it. Good work.
Rgs, Aleksander

axiotea (21651) 2006-05-12 3:24

Hi Kath, lovely and colorful little chaffinch.. good POV and sharpness...there is a french saying :"joyful as a chaffinch!" = "gai comme un pinson"........cheers....
Marilyn

Angshu (56760) 2006-05-12 3:30

Welcome back Kath after a short break
Great closeup shot with excellent use of DOF. Of course the subject is beautiful too.
Regards
Angshu

fabio_ts (13696) 2006-05-12 6:23

Awesome "portait" Kath, what a details, sharp, and brilliant colors... excellent capture.. compliments!!

have a nice weekend,
Fabio.

repaulson (607) 2006-05-12 10:22

Kath, Great shot of this little guy. Detail and colors are absolutely amazing!

-Ross

Didi (61589) 2006-05-12 12:38

Hi Kath
I think I must come here with my 300 mm.
No chance for me I leave in a building in Orleans downtown.
Nice DOF for this one and I appreciate also the picture in the WS.
Cheers.

DLM (6479) 2006-05-12 13:24

Nice one kath,quite a versatile photographer you are,great colour and detail,Well captured,TFS
Dave.

tcht (7565) 2006-05-12 15:24

Hi Kath,
That's a super close up! Not just the DoF is great but also the colours and composition. That dark background highlights the bird and apart from the details of the bird I enjoy the texture of the tree very much. both WS & this are good capture, well done :)
CheukHin

anavazao (5592) 2006-05-12 15:55

Hi,
This is superb close-up captured, really congratulations.
Everything is ok; focus, colours, details, POV and DOF.
Very good work my friend!
Thanks Ana:)

Stepan (27210) 2006-05-13 3:25

I'm already waiting for your shot from Paris. Hope you'll create another travelogue !!
I'm not so fan with animals shooting but I like the close up and I wish I knew how you could get so close to the bird ?? Did you pay it ?;=)
Stéphane

Rosa (0) 2006-05-13 6:44

Bravo Kath, Petit oiseau de toutes les couleurs !!! Mignon comme tout pleins, couleurs merveilleuses,Rien d’autre à ajouter ta photo parle d’elle-même.
Amitiés, Rosa.

danyy (0) 2006-05-13 16:32

Superbe Kath,
des couleurs resplendissantes, une photo nette où les moindres plumes apparaissent.
Excellente DOF, beaucoup de relief.
Un tout bon travail.
With my best regards.
Daniel.

Cricri (176) 2006-05-15 13:33

Bonjour Kath,
Jolie capture de ce petit oiseau aux merveilleuse couleurs, détails, bon DOF,
compliment
amitiés
cricri

bazal (7900) 2006-05-19 16:31

Hi Kath.
Impressive view on this beautiful little bird (we call that a 'pinson' in France). It's amazing the level of details that you've managed to capture on your shot.
Thanks for sharing.