Suzanne Daunt
December 2025 - Perched in Thought
About the Image(s)
The attached photo, Perched in Thought, was shot with a Nikon Z8 in Costa Rica, 600mm focal length, 1/2000s, f/6.3, ISO 640. Even at 600mm, this was cropped in quite a bit, denoised, and the bird was brightened and colors enhanced. Added a bit of blur to the background.
7 comments posted
Very nice. I love the bird's color. What is that hanging down from the end of the tail, is that a leaf (not likely given color match) or a feather? The blurred background works well and the colors complement the bird's feathers. Composition seems a little right heavy to me. I'd consider cropping from the left. Happy Holidays Posted: 12/07/2025 18:25:52
That thing hanging down from his tail is part of his tail. Pretty weird, huh? I like the suggestion of the crop - definitely works better and still gives him room to peer off to the left. Thank you! Posted: 12/13/2025 15:24:37
(Groups 21 & 48 & 71)
Suzanne, gorgeous image of a Motmot. This bird is a motmot, a member of a colorful Neotropical family known for their distinctive racket-tipped tails. Your background is non distracting and is perfect for this colorful bird. It has great color, definition and sharpness. I did feel that there was a little too much room on the left so I cropped a little. What do you think? Posted: 12/11/2025 19:44:54
I love how you cropped this! I struggle with finding the right balance between giving room for the bird to peer off in the distance, but not having too much negative space. Thanks for showing me your edit - it helps a lot! Posted: 12/13/2025 15:27:14
Beautiful portrait of the bird, the colours and details are very well captured as well as the composition, and I like the empty space on the left in your original image. Posted: 12/12/2025 05:06:03
Thanks Martha! Evaluating photos is definitely subjective. I'm glad you like it. Posted: 12/13/2025 15:28:34
A great portrait of a very photogenic bird. The bird is sharp and the background does not distract. I have to agree that a crop from the left could be useful. Posted: 12/16/2025 13:42:43