Repost: Juvenile Western Bluebird

Gallery: AvianPosted January 23, 201460 views7 comments

While situated hundreds of yards from the south rim of the Grand Canyon, Mather Campground is nothing special from a scenery point of view, but it is a convenient location from which to launch day trips. It is filled with pine trees and a variety of birds. This baby bird was perched near our campsite.

While the tail is a bit soft, I like the bird's layered feathers with a touch of blue, the large head and eye, and the splotchy background.

Please feel free to comment and critique. Thanks to Brian Gatlin, who identified the species.

Location: Mather Campground, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA

Date and Time: August 9, 2013, 15:14

Equipment: Pentax K-5, Pentax DA* 300mm f4, handheld

Exposure: 1/750s, f/4, iso 200

Crop: Extreme, with about 75% of the frame removed.

Post processing in Lightroom 5: Basics. Increased luminance of blues to bring out the blue feathers.

Comments

7 comments

Comment posted by Brian Gatlin on January 23, 2014 at 7:41 AM

nice job on a difficult exposure, Randy. I like the lichen on the perch and the nice head turn. a little more dof for the tail would have been nice, but it works pretty well as is. I might consider darkening some of the brightest parts of the bg. the bird is a juvenile Western Bluebird.

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

Comment posted by Keith Bauer on January 23, 2014 at 11:05 AM

I like the overall flow of the image. The background is pretty bright, and the bird, pretty dark. This is a perfect place for using fill flash to tame that contrast problem. I use fill flash on perched birds on nearly every shot. Usually I dial the flash down to at least -2, sometimes -3. This would allow you to properly expose for the subject and decide via ambient controls the brightness of the background.

Registered on November 20, 2003, 458 Posts, 4836 Comments

Comment posted by Jim Hackley on January 23, 2014 at 11:17 AM

For such a large crop you still have some detail in the larger image and interesting to see a juvenile western bluebird. This seems to be a very challenging shot dealing with the bright light and shadows. If you had the time I might have tired to work my way around with the sun behind me but not sure what your conditions were.

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

Comment posted by Philip Hodgkins on January 23, 2014 at 3:28 PM

Randy, excellent work, considering the large crop. I agree with Brian on the BG. My first thought was darkening some of the brighter areas. Keith's idea of fill flash is an excellent suggestion.

Registered on July 24, 2006, 2741 Posts, 12349 Comments

Comment posted by Randy Runtsch on January 23, 2014 at 7:43 PM

Thank you for the comments and advice, everyone. Here is a new version of the image with the whites cranked down and the brighter areas of the background burned in a bit.

The flash will stay in my bag from now on to be prepared for opportunities like this one.

Registered on October 30, 2013, 50 Posts, 445 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on January 23, 2014 at 9:45 PM

Nice detail, Randy, and a neat head turn. The bg has been discussed.

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

Comment posted by Sharon Hallowell on January 24, 2014 at 7:48 AM

Your repost is an improvement. The mottled lighting really made this one a tough one. I really like the bird's pose and head turn and the juvenile plumage is very nice to see! That eye is so big! Sharon

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