European Stonechat Portrait

European Stonechat Portrait

European Stonechats are small birds that are very common in Israel, so tend to sometimes be ignored. They are beautiful, though, and always a pleasure to encounter. In this photo you can see a male staring right at the camera. For me this bird always appears thoughtful.

What do I like about this photo? The color contrast between the bird and everything else really makes it the center of attention. As does the shallow depth of field (using an open aperture - f/6.3. which is the most open my lens supports at the 400mm focal length that I used), which makes the bird really sharp and everything else blurred out. The visible diagonal branches also add interest, directing the eye towards the bird. There's quick a bit of detail available, too.

What would I want to improve? I would have wanted to be closer, to avoid the need for cropping the photo. This would have resulted in better detail. Also, the background color is really dull, so a more interesting background might have been useful.