Whenever I am shooting I always consider the background of my image. I search for situations like this, where I can isolate my subject against a nice clean background.
So, when a flock of Sulpher Winged Parakeets descended on this apple tree in Costa Rica for a little snack. I quickly dismissed all the birds feeding near the visually cluttered center of the tree. Choosing instead to focus on the birds feeding on the outer edges where I could use a distant hillside as the background for my shot.
In this way, when I focus on the bird the distant hillside goes completely out of focus creating a nice soft clean background. This not only gives the image some depth but allows the bird to take center stage and visually “pop” off the background.
Good Luck and Good Light!
Steve
Image: Sulpher Winged Parakeet, Savegre River Valley, Costa Rica
Nikon D4S, 200-400mm, 1/250th @ f8, ISO 320