Ring Necked Pheasant (Bigger is Better)

Yes, it's spring in Hawaii, and the birds are full of it. A couple days ago I

was hiking at the 8,000 foot level on Haleakala and the thick clouds were

blowing in and out, with occasional rain. I could hear a lot of pheasant

calling and beating their wings against their chest. The thick clouds

allowed me to surprise this bird and get a little closer than what they are

usually comfortable with.

Great find on the bird, and he's beautifully captured. I had no idea there were ringnecks living up on that mountain (but then, I've mostly just flown over it!).

My only thought on the image itself would be to ease off just a touch on the vignetting. I'm seeing it strongly enough that it's distracting me a bit from the fine specimen. If I wanted to emphasize the bird, I might instead use a very light touch with some blur/defocusing on the grass, and just a hint of the vignette. Of course I'm splitting hairs because I truly do enjoy the image. Sounds like a great hike!

I agree with Matt, to me it is only the vignetting on the top of the photo that seems a tad distracting though. Wonderful shot!! :)

I think the vignette added to the contrasting colours of the bird the amount of detail captured is remarkable and worthy of note... MJ

Dominick, what beautiful colors you've captured here. Crisp, clean and a fine specimen pose. I too have mixed emotions about the vignette-it helps in that it brings attention to the central area of the photo, it also spotlights the grass behind the subject. Thinking along the lines of using it in a more subdued fashion and incorporating a mask and blurring the background, or mask and darken (slightly) /blur the background. I wouldn't soften toomuch in the foreground or your subject will then look like it's floating on a cloud. Still, it's an image to be proud of, i still can't get over just how vivid it is without looking like an over-saturation disaster. Congratulations!

Thanks for all the input.  This is the second time I used a vignette on a photo posted here, and each time the feedback has centered around the use of the vignette.  Now I know how to get feedback ; )    Seriously, next time I'll use Randall's suggestion.   Now if I can only get the bird as crisp and detailed on my post as it is in the original!  

Very nice portrait of this beautiful bird, good the colours and sharpness, ciao Giangiorgio

Thank you Giangiorgio.  Ciao!

Good pose and sharpness. Best regards, Linh Dinh

Gosh, Love the mixed of colors, sharpness and as MJ had pointed out, the vignetting make the bird stand out more. TFS!

What more to say... Just amazing... :)

Thank you friends!   FYI, I did back off on the vignetting a little when I printed it.  I sincerely appreciate all the feedback.

It must have been a thrill to see this bird!  I'm so happy you could capture him before he spooked and flew away.  It's a great capture!  You said something about it not being as sharp as the original......true perhaps, but it's coming across quite sharp and true on my monitor, which reveals the fantastic detail in his feathers.  It's really a work of art, isn't it?  I only saw Nene birds when I was on Haleakala.  I could have spent forever up there, but the fog came in late morning and blanketed all the views.  Someday I hope to go back.  That was my very first trip with a digital camera, and I didn't know what I was doing with it.  Hopefully I've learned a bit since then!  :-)

Excellent shot Dominick! Color, detail and composition are all first rate. Well done.