Yesterday on Antelope Island I was able to get a shot of a Western Meadowlark that may be one of my favorite images of a songbird in flight. But there’s a potential flaw that niggles at me some…
1/4000, f/7.1, ISO 500, Canon 7D, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM, 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
When I approached the bird it was truly buried in sagebrush stems so once again I knew I’d have to go for flight shots as it took off. Predicting direction and angle of take-off was particularly difficult for this bird because of all the vertical stems – would it first jump straight up to clear the stems or would it simply power through them horizontally as it launched? I had to guess and aim my lens at the predicted spot in order to give me a chance at avoiding clipped and cut-off body parts because take-off for relatively small birds is very fast.
1/4000, f/7.1, ISO 500, Canon 7D, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM, 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
This time I guessed correctly – the bird mostly jumped up before powering forward to my left. Out of three shots at take-off one had the bird still buried in the stems and one was clipped but I liked this one. Mostly…
I’m undecided about the stem-tips poking into the frame at bottom. To my eye we may not be able to see enough of the sagebrush stems for them to contribute positively to the image as the perch or habitat – they may be more distracting than helpful.
1/4000, f/7.1, ISO 500, Canon 7D, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM, 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
Of course the stem-tips would be easy to get rid of as I’ve done here but I prefer not to clone natural elements out of an image whenever possible and I wonder if this version of the image isn’t too sterile with only the bird and the largely homogenous background. I just can’t make up my mind.
I’d be interested in any preferences some of you might have.
Ron
I like the photo better with the sagebrush stems. I don’t find them distracting and as a matter of fact I think it gives important context to the picture. The stems make it clear that the bird is either taking off or landing.
First response to your fabulous blog Ron (I have been following from the Front Range of Colorado for several months now).
I can appreciate the context of the sage twigs, but to me, the image is about the Meadowlark. Your characteristically well-focused capture of this iconic western prairie fixture is the focus of the image – I say embrace it, nix the twigs (especially if the last image is presented with the first).
For what its worth, I would take any one of these images in a heartbeat as my own. Very nicely shot.
Welcome, Gary, and thanks very much. I agree with you that presenting the first image with either of the other two changes the context a bit. I actually wondered how that might effect the “voting”.
Well, stems here as well. To my eye, they provide a delicate calligraphy to the image, adding life and a hint of context. Somehow, the completely empty backgrounds feel false and a bit sterile to me.
Thank you, Deborah. I agree about “empty” backgrounds but I do like backgrounds like this better than plain blue sky.
Thanks, once again for making it possible to see these wonderful images…love then first image (ball and spikes composition, round and verticals)..nothing like a golden, sun-splashed Meadowlark singing his heart out to lift winter-worn spirits. Sage tips or no sage tips, who cares…both are nice, and in both the focus is on that wonderful bird, but I’m leaning very slightly toward inclusion of the tips…just a hint of one of my favorite plants, sage….who’s going to object to a hint of sage???
I know what you mean about sage, Patty. When I’m out shooting I sometimes run over a small branch of sage that has encroached on the edge of the road. My windows are usually open and almost instantly the inside of my pickup is engulfed by that wonderful sage smell. Both Mia and I absolutely love it!
Ron,
I took one look at the top photo and thought to myself, “Ron’s wondering what to do with those stems.” I like the “stemless” version better as I find the stems without support somewhat distracting, but not so much as to ruin the version with stems.
Ha, you’ve got me nailed, John! That brought a smile…
I prefer it neat, no stems. And both shots are gorgeous!
“I prefer it neat”
I like the way you put that, Nala. Reminds me of a way to order a whiskey…
Stems here too. And I love the first shot of him shrieking from among those stems.
Thank you, Elephant’s Child.
Here’s one more vote for the stems, for all the reasons others have given. They provide a hint of context without overpowering the image. Gorgeous as always, and I always enjoy your comments and the discussion.
Thanks, Betsy. It’s beginning to look like I may be the only one who thought the stems might have more negatives than positives…
The stems have it! They offer a context for the ‘story’ of this beautiful bird’s location and life. I’ve found that many of my ‘bird alone’ photos end up looking more like I just pasted them into the photo…like stickers. :o(
Another vote for the stems! Thanks, Cheryl.
Another vote for the stems! Strikes me as a touch that grounds the bird in habitat, yet without distracting too much from the bird. Definitely stems. Beautiful image!
There seems to be a trend here, Mikal. Thank you.
I definitely prefer it with the stems. The stems provide context and visual cues about where the bird is, how high, in what setting. Beautiful.
Thank you for your input on this, Kelli.
Ron, what a beautiful birdie … gorgeous photography!!!!!
Thanks very much, Lois.
Just curious, what processing do you do? You said you don’t like photoshopping images? What did you do to this image if I can ask?
Hey, Jerry. Typically all I do is minor to moderate exposure adjustments and cropping in ACR, then import into Photoshop and selectively sharpen the bird – which is exactly what I did to this image. If the image was taken in low light I sometimes tweak saturation and/or contrast but not by much. Occasionally I’ll add canvas for composition and remove bits of twigs poking into the frame edge if I have to. I’ve also been known to selectively darken very bright elements in the image.
Well,it looks beautiful!
I like it with the stem tips for sure! The other shot is like you say, too sterile. Love the one of him perched the best though.
I appreciate your feedback on this, Deb. Thanks.
You’re the BEST! Great images! Thanks for sharing!
Charlotte
Thank you, Charlotte.
Spectacular, Ron! Personally, I like the stem tips of the sage included. Energetically, it ramps the photo up a notch for me, giving it an almost electrical excitement! That may be purely a visual response, but I also appreciate seeing how at this phase in flight the stems are barely cleared. It will be interesting to see how other viewers respond…
Thanks very much, Alison. That’s exactly the kind of feedback I was hoping for. I sometimes spend so much time with an image (processing etc) that I lose my perspective on it. The initial reaction is so important and for me that’s far behind me now.