My wife wanted to give her mother a picture of a cardinal for Christmas, so I setup a little feeder in the backyard. Here are a few shots from this morning. I'm open to any feedback on how to make them better, as I haven't done a lot of bird photography.

Thanks for looking.

Mike

Nice set Mike.

Rob

I like them all Mike, well done. I'm sure your mother-in-law will be delighted
David

Great start. You asked for feedback so the following is my opinion. If you're asking about future shots ...

For 1, 2, and 3 there is too much greenery. Less is more. I understand the holiday theme but I think there is too much and distracting.

For 1 and 2, the thick OOF branch in the front is a bit distracting.

For 3 and 4, the thick perch is out of proportion to the tiny feet of these birds. Perhaps put a different, thinner twig as a perch that is in proportion to the bird.

Finally, I'd try to shoot vertical. Just a thought. You have done well.

If you are asking about post processing, well that I don't know.

Rob Tillyer wrote:
Nice set Mike.

Thanks Rob!

David Leask wrote:
I like them all Mike, well done. I'm sure your mother-in-law will be delighted


Thanks David. I'm sure I'm being more critical than she would be ... At least with pictures!

acjd wrote:
Great start. You asked for feedback so the following is my opinion. If you're asking about future shots ...

For 1, 2, and 3 there is too much greenery. Less is more. I understand the holiday theme but I think there is too much and distracting.

For 1 and 2, the thick OOF branch in the front is a bit distracting.

For 3 and 4, the thick perch is out of proportion to the tiny feet of these birds. Perhaps put a different, thinner twig as a perch that is in proportion to the bird.

Finally, I'd try to shoot vertical. Just a thought. You have done well.

If you are asking about post processing, well that I don't know.

This is great feedback. Thanks!

I'm thinking I will tweak the branches a bit so they're more inclined to the back, and maybe shoot a little higher angle to avoid the branch in the front. #4 was just a nearby fallen tree, but I'll try some thinner branches around the feeder.

As for post, I don't do a lot of printing, so any tips on getting the vibrance from the cardinal would be great, if anyone has any experience there.

Thanks,

Mike

Mike, I can't help much in printing but I do know that SRGB supposedly does poorly for reds. From what I understand, shoot in Adobe RGB, do the post on a wide gamut monitor using ARGB throughout post. I suggest asking on the printing forum. There should be experts there. Best of luck.

Lovely set Mike

Very nice set Mike.

Rod

Good looking set Mike.

nice job on them all Mike

Thanks everyone!