Yellow Warbler in Aspens

Gallery: AvianPosted August 17, 2011199 views18 comments

Just as a I was pulling into a small town in Montana this spring, my car broke down. I was stuck there for two days waiting for a part to be delivered. Luckily, there was a small wetland area across the street from the repair garage. Several common wetland birds kept me occupied while I waited for my car, including a pair of male Yellow Warblers competing for territory. When I made this photo I was a bit disappointed, because just as this fellow arrived at the top of a young aspen tree to sing, a cloud had moved into the background. But I have since then changed my mind and I am grateful (pretty much) my car broke down during my trip.

Canon Mark IV, 600mm & 1.4x, ISO 800, 1/500 @ f8, cropped 20% all around.

All your comments and suggestion are very much appreciated.

Ken Archer

Comments

18 comments

Comment posted by Ken Smith on August 17, 2011 at 8:54 PM

Beautiful..the white b/g looks like a studio setting. Pops nicely. Too bad about the car...but, this is a nice outcome.

Registered on September 5, 2008, 449 Posts, 2444 Comments

Comment posted by Luke Ormand on August 17, 2011 at 9:28 PM

I think the flat sky sets this bird off nicely and the DOF and detail are impressive.

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

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on August 17, 2011 at 10:16 PM

Superb job of exposure against that high key bg, Ken. The bird and leaves really pop against it, and you caught a great singing pose. Excellent.

Registered on January 28, 2008, 1767 Posts, 23192 Comments

Comment posted by Brian Gatlin on August 17, 2011 at 10:30 PM

wow, Ken, sounds like a pretty nice place to break down! this is just beautiful--I love your comp, the singing pose, and the great looking aspen leaves (with great dof, like Luke says). I think the cloud worked out well for you. I'd be thrilled to have taken this.

Registered on March 21, 2009, 202 Posts, 4187 Comments

Comment posted by Max Waugh on August 17, 2011 at 10:53 PM

Works for me, Ken. The yellows and greens are tremendous, and in general I think the tones (including the BG) give it a "lighter" feel.

Max

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

Comment posted by keith mitchell on August 18, 2011 at 2:57 AM

Ken this makes up for your breakdown when i first looked at this i was not sure about the bg but the more i look the more i like it,that bird is a little cracker.

Keith.

Registered on July 12, 2008, 127 Posts, 1735 Comments

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on August 18, 2011 at 4:14 AM

Love it!
Super pose, excellent colours set off perfectly by the leaves and BG.
Great use of your time, if you had to be stuck! At least you weren't 100 miles from the nearest town, which could have easily happened out there.

Sandy

Registered on November 24, 2003, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments

Comment posted by Kim Connolly on August 18, 2011 at 9:09 AM

Splendid shot, love the background - it really makes it a superb composition. The warbler with its rich yellow terrific with the green leaves and light sky

Registered on June 18, 2008, 14 Posts, 226 Comments

Comment posted by Philip Schwarz on August 18, 2011 at 10:41 AM

I think the background is what makes this a great photo.

Registered on November 29, 2006, 236 Posts, 1210 Comments

Comment posted by Ralph Kerr on August 18, 2011 at 10:44 AM

Nice Yellow Warbler, Ken. I think the BG works in this case. I am wondering what it would look like if a black border were used. If you had to deal with a breakdown, I am glad you had good subjects to work on as you passed the time.

Registered on January 30, 2007, 369 Posts, 852 Comments

Comment posted by Soubhik Patranabis on August 18, 2011 at 12:09 PM

Beautiful.

Registered on January 25, 2010, 54 Posts, 610 Comments

Comment posted by Ray Whitt on August 18, 2011 at 5:13 PM

Love the colors against the white background, nice pose and beautiful shot.

Ray

Registered on May 27, 2011, 92 Posts, 2619 Comments

Comment posted by Angela McCain on August 18, 2011 at 10:26 PM

Beautiful bird with great detail in the larger image. I like the separation of the bird and perch from the white background. I do think I would have left a bit more room above the bird.

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

Comment posted by Sharon Hallowell on August 19, 2011 at 8:02 AM

Love this just as is...the delicate foliage and bg along with the bird are wonderful. I like how you see the "bright" side of a bad thing! Your reward for your patience was worth it! Sharon

Registered on November 1, 2003, 392 Posts, 4810 Comments

Comment posted by Jim Hackley on August 19, 2011 at 2:12 PM

Wonderful pose and perch along with good detail, I am usually not fond of white backgrounds but this is very appealing. Interesting story about how you found this, well done.

Registered on September 17, 2009, 302 Posts, 5535 Comments

Comment posted by May Haga on August 19, 2011 at 7:11 PM

This is a wonderful image Ken. These guys never sit still. Images like this make up for the car trouble and travel delay.
May

Registered on February 22, 2007, 714 Posts, 8470 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Dudley on August 21, 2011 at 9:01 AM

Simply a lovely shot Ken. Great pose and setting, colors look good and f/8 served you well to get everything sharp. I think the background works well also. Rural Montana hasn't been kind to either one of our vehicles recently - I had four flat tires on my trip up there last week (gravel roads). They were new tires too...

Registered on March 30, 2007, 437 Posts, 10915 Comments

Comment posted by Howard Cheek on August 22, 2011 at 8:57 PM

This works very nicely Ken, the warbler and leafy branch really pop out of the frame.
Lovely singing pose with great details & colors, well composed

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