Ornaments

Gallery: AvianPosted May 30, 2011245 views10 comments

I just returned from two weeks in Yellowstone. The weather wreaked havoc on exploration and wildlife viewing throughout my stay. Among the challenges faced: road closures due to snow, getting stuck in the mud (and having the tow truck get stuck too) and being forced to leave a day early due to a rock slide blocking our exit from the park.

Wildlife photography was a challenge, though there were good opportunities to be had for those in the right place at the right time. I was not one of those individuals. However, I found good bird activity to be unusually abundant.

One pleasant surprise occurred when I was staking out a flicker nest in a dead tree. It turned out that other birds were making use of the snag as well. Mountain bluebirds had a nest down below, and other species used it as a stopping point during their commute. This was a fun moment, during which the male bluebird was joined briefly by a pair of passing Cassin's finches (male and female).

Canon 7D
Canon 500mm f/4 IS + 1.4x TC
ISO 200
1/320
f/13
Exp. Comp. +1

Max

Comments

10 comments

Comment posted by Angela McCain on May 30, 2011 at 9:28 PM

This image is way cool, Max. How lucky

you were to catch three different birds here. The bluebird is lovely. Looks like you pushed the f stop to get all three, but they must have just been too separated. However, I like it just as it is.

Registered on April 19, 2009, 367 Posts, 3589 Comments

Comment posted by Luke Ormand on May 30, 2011 at 9:35 PM

A really interesting and unique photo - the birds are OOF enough so they aren't distracting but they are easily identified and the mix of colors works well too

Registered on February 4, 2009, 1093 Posts, 7035 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Ditch on May 30, 2011 at 9:49 PM

I like this too. I agree with Luke's comment.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 1031 Posts, 12705 Comments

Comment posted by Ashley Vincent on May 30, 2011 at 10:55 PM

Terrific shot Max, what a great opportunity! :^)

I'd be real interested to know though whether you made any attempts to get the two birds further back more in focus, or if your goal was to get them just enough in focus to be able to tell what they are?

Being that blurring out the background in this case apparently wasn't an issue, if I'd had the time (i.e. if they'd stuck around long enough!) I think I'd have continued narrowing the aperture until I could see as much of the other two in focus as possible, at least so I could compare them with this one after to see which effect I liked best.

Registered on March 1, 2011, 154 Posts, 2083 Comments

Comment posted by Max Waugh on May 30, 2011 at 11:42 PM

As Angela noted, I did attempt to increase the depth of field in order to get them all "in focus." Obviously it wasn't enough, but I'm not sure increasing to f/22 would have done the trick either. Between the first shot and last shots I fired off in the sequence (before the birds flew off) I had 23 seconds. Not a lot of time to experiment. I simply recall ratcheting the f/stop up higher and trying to get a shot in which they were all in profile... this was the only shot like that in the entire series.

I think I would have preferred if they were all in focus, but obviously that's a matter of taste. I'd have also liked if the bluebird were green so this would emulate a traffic light, but that's something that was out of my hands...

Max

Registered on September 26, 2008, 428 Posts, 2329 Comments

Comment posted by Terry Sohl on May 30, 2011 at 11:43 PM

Neat Max! Such different plumage on the three birds.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 513 Posts, 6889 Comments

Comment posted by Dan Walters on May 31, 2011 at 11:06 AM

Nice image. LIke the way the bluebird stands out from the other two.

Registered on October 30, 2005, 405 Posts, 3693 Comments

Comment posted by Ashley Vincent on May 31, 2011 at 11:18 PM

Thanks for the candid response Max, and all the more for making me LOL at your comment re having wished for the Bluebird being green ;^p

Registered on March 1, 2011, 154 Posts, 2083 Comments

Comment posted by Howard Cheek on June 1, 2011 at 6:26 AM

Unique image with the added interest of these two finches, love the comp here Max.
Looks great!

Registered on July 24, 2008, 1201 Posts, 10758 Comments

Comment posted by Giorgio Gregori on June 2, 2011 at 12:20 PM

Unique composition .
Giorgio

Registered on November 16, 2007, 87 Posts, 793 Comments