Pierre Williot  


Dark-eyed Junco by Pierre Williot

November 2024 - Dark-eyed Junco

About the Image(s)

Title: Dark-eyed Junco

Equipment: OM-1 Mark II, OM 150-400 mm TC, Handheld.
Set-up: ISO 800, 1/400 sec, f/6.3, 419 mm (full frame equivalent of 836 mm).
Noise reduction, light adjustments and cropping using ON1 PhotoRaw 2025.


This round’s discussion is now closed!
11 comments posted




Dean Ginther   Dean Ginther
Pierre,
I like that the bird's gaze and the leading lines complement one another. It is often difficult to get a shot of these small birds in the tree without interference from foreground branches and leaves but you managed to get a nice window.   Posted: 11/04/2024 00:03:21
Pierre Williot   Pierre Williot
Thanks Dean. I agree. There were 3 Juncos jumping back and forth in a few bushes. It took a while to get one in the open and with a fair framing.   Posted: 11/10/2024 17:14:09



Mervyn Hurwitz   Mervyn Hurwitz
This is the first time that I have even heard of a Junco! Where is it typically found?

The bird is sharp and I like the branches at the base almost forming a frame. As you know, I like my birds cropped much closer, and so I don't think you need so much space on the right. I particularly find the twig coming from top right to be a distraction, which can easily be removed with a crop or cloned out.   Posted: 11/10/2024 17:10:29
Pierre Williot   Pierre Williot
Hi Mervyn. There are 2 types of Juncos: the Dark-eyed which lives throughout the USA but the breeding territory is across Canada. The Yellow-eyed Junco is mainly seen in the northern part of central America.
Thanks for your comments about cropping and getting rid of distractions.   Posted: 11/10/2024 17:19:43



Jacob Wat   Jacob Wat
This is an interesting photo. I do agree with Mervyn that a tighter crop might be interesting. Overall I think this is a strong photo and you were able to capture a lot of detail. I usually have issues when trying to photograph birds so this is very impressive.   Posted: 11/11/2024 03:43:40
Pierre Williot   Pierre Williot
Hi Jacob,
It is very hard to take pictures of birds with an iPhone.
The main problems are stability and zooming.
What to do: I would recommend a tripod with a Phone attachment. It is also possible to get a remote control for the shutter. One can use telephoto adaptor, but without stabilization, I would be extremely surprised that you would get good results.
Start with "bird on a stick" or "bird on the ground" before trying birds in flight.
  Posted: 11/11/2024 20:34:42



Cindy Smith   Cindy Smith
I like this. I do think maybe a stronger black on him might be nice? We see juncos with snow here in Ohio. Had a few on my deck last week! Sharp image. Nice.   Posted: 11/26/2024 14:23:44
Pierre Williot   Pierre Williot
Thanks Cindy   Posted: 11/26/2024 14:25:47
Pierre Williot   Pierre Williot
Thanks Cindy   Posted: 11/26/2024 14:25:47



Jaswant Madhavan   Jaswant Madhavan
It must be winter...again! Lovely picture. I would agree with the slightly tighter crop. The bird is sharp and unless you are into a lot of digital manipulation, I would leave it alone.   Posted: 11/29/2024 12:40:21
Pierre Williot   Pierre Williot
Thanks Jaswant,
I prefer very simple editing, keeping the final version as close as possible to how it was seen.   Posted: 11/29/2024 12:55:17