Yesterday was a meadowlark take-off kind of morning. Regular readers know that I’m fond of this kind of action shot but for a variety of reasons I find them difficult to achieve so I was happy to get two of them I liked within such a short time.
1/3200, f/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
My tendency is to prefer plenty of habitat in most of my bird photographs but I lean toward clean backgrounds for take-off shots because they tend to highlight the action pose of the bird better (and because clean backgrounds make it easier to keep focus locked on the bird as it takes flight). In this case the background is the mudflats of the Great Salt Lake. Here you can see that the sagebrush on Antelope Island is finally beginning to green-up nicely.
1/4000, f/7.1, ISO 400, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
Composition for this shot was a challenge. I don’t particularly like squarish framing but I had no more room on the right so I cropped it to vertical with as many pixels as were available to me without adding canvas. The bird may be a little tight in the frame for some but I do like the detail the close crop provides.
One of my little idiosyncrasies is the fact that many (though not all) imperfections in my avian subjects actually appeal to me. To me they often help to provide that “natural” look – after all, nature isn’t perfect. In this case the imperfection is provided by the small and unruly white feather poking up from the back of the neck of the bird.
I guess you could call me an imperfectionist…
Ron
Magnificent shots Ron!
Charlotte
Love the ‘bad feather’ day look the meadowlark is rocking.
Imperfectionist? Cue hysterical laughter. Definitely a perfectionist in your quest for the quirky, the unusual, the absurd, the beautiful, the uncommon…
I especially like the “quirky” part, EC. Thanks.
Wow, those wings are fast! I am amazed that 1/4000 of a second did not stop action totally. The slight blur makes for a real action effect.
Beautiful! : =)
Dee, I was fairly close to these birds (particularly the second one) and I suspect the wingtip softness was largely a matter of depth of field rather than shutter speed. Thank you.
Love the little “cowlick” feather…it gives the image extra charm…..
“Cowlick” – wish I’d thought of that for my text, Patty.
Ah, to switch from being a perfectionist to an imperfectionist; that is the goal! I’d love to trade out some of my perfectionism. I do like that unruly feather along with other shots you’ve posted that have shown similar kinds of imperfections.
Once again we’re two of a kind, Susan. Thank you.
Nice shots! I would NEVER call you an IM-perfectionist…not in 1000 years!!!!
Thanks, Patty, but I guess it depends on one’s perspective. If I had a choice of this shot with or without the unruly feather I’d pick the former in a heartbeat…
Good morning, Ron!! I love both of your captures but I prefer the second exactly because of the little feather!! He also seems to have a look of determination on his face like he’s saying “watch out – here I come!!” Love my morning view of your blog & photos – wonderful way to start my day!!
Jo Ann, I probably prefer the second one too but mostly because the bird isn’t turned slightly away from me like the first one is. And then there’s that unruly feather…
These are so wonderful!! I have the 7D Mark II and it is an amazing camera. I enjoy all your photos, Ron!!
Gena, IMO, the Mark II is the ideal bird camera. I love mine. Thank you.