I shot this image of this cute American robin around this time a year ago while on my morning walk at Carbon Canyon regional park that’s not too far from my home. I followed the bird as he moved around and about the grassy area obviously on a morning breakfast hunt. I was careful not to get too close to him because I could sense that he knew I was photographing him. All of a sudden he picked up an earthworm and stood still for a few seconds as if showing it off to me. Shot the image with my Sony A7III. Settings were ISO 3200, f6.3, 1/400 s, at 362 mm. I cropped big to get rid of the distracting background in Photoshop, and settled for a square crop. I then adjusted the brightness , increased contrast, vibrance and sharpness. I removed the fallen leaves from the ground to minimize its distracting effect on the background. Looking forward to your feedback. BTW, I apologize for not having been able to respond to comments and not being able to comment on your images during my travels. My schedule was very hectic and had no access to the internet all the weeks I was in China.
6 comments posted
Karen Kratz
Maria - I like the story you and your image tell, and especially the size of that worm in contrast to the robin! My goodness! The background of the shot looks a little grainy - almost like heat distortion - and that's hard to avoid. It could also be because of the tight crop, or maybe oversharpening(?) - we all encounter that from time to time. If you have software like Topaz, maybe it could help with this. Otherwise, I like the photo and how the robin displays its prize. China? Wow! Nice! Posted: 05/08/2025 20:34:42
Maria Small
Hi, Karen! I agree with Isaac that it's my magnum crop that downgraded the quality of the image. I don't happen to have Topaz but am considering adding it to my toolbox. Thank you for your feedback. Posted: 05/12/2025 17:48:01
Richard Goldenberg
Maria - Nice capture. Robins pulling worms out of the ground is one of my favorite subjects and this Robin sure got a big juicy one. I like the photo a lot, but my one comment would be to consider backing off on the sharpness a bit. The top of the Robin's head has that "potentially too much sharpening" look to it. Also, how did Original 2 figure into this? Posted: 05/09/2025 20:32:53
Maria Small
Thanks for your comments, Richard. The Original 2 I included to add to my story of how this American robin seemed to sense my presence, in spite of the distance. Note that in original 2, he is looking at me. Posted: 05/12/2025 17:50:00
Dr Isaac Vaisman
Maria, great capture at peak of action. The quality of the image is what is because the magnum crop you did from an only 24 megapixels file. The bird represents about 5 % on the frame and you brought it to an almost fill the frame image. The early bird gets the large worm. Posted: 05/10/2025 15:47:38
Maria Small
Isaac, thanks for your reminder about "magnum" crops and quality of the image. I really liked what I captured in that moment then cropped to show it, and paid the price. Posted: 05/12/2025 17:53:38
