I tend to photograph meadowlarks taking off fairly often but I shoot the species I encounter and I do like this one.
1/5000, f/7.1, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, canvas added for composition, not baited, set up or called in
This is from three days ago on the island. I had a little more shutter speed than I needed and you’ll notice that the wingtips are still soft. That’s because I was quite close to the bird so I didn’t have enough depth of field to get them sharp, which I’m ok with. Even though I added canvas up top the meadowlark is still a little tight on the right (I like more room there for the bird to “fly in to”) but I chose not to add canvas there because of the vertical twigs at lower right.
On another note, due to weather and medical issues my posts are likely to be brief for a few days. Our recent big snowstorm was extensive and is aggravatingly slow to clear out and as some of you know I’m currently having rotator cuff problems that are making shooting and computer work a little dicey. Yesterday I become reacquainted with cortisone injections (that corticosteroid and I have been estranged since I threw the javelin in high school and college decades ago) and if it works this time I may be able to avoid surgery.
And that would be a good thing for a bird photographer with a long and heavy lens.
Ron
For meadowlarks to continue being “common”, they need to continue having meadows……..
Fingers and toes crossed you can avoid surgery. We are re-entering medical mayhem next week and it is NOT fun. For anyone.
Love your meadowlark (of course).
Dagnabit, EC!!! You and your partner have had much, much more than your fair share of this kind of thing. Enough is enough! My very best wishes to you both!
Very sharp and enough room in the front for me. First I’ve heard about the rotator cuff problem. I hope you can get the issue resolved without any appreciable loss of photography time. I’m trying to imagine how a sherpa or robot would fit into your truck.
It happened 35 days ago, Dave. 40 minutes with both arms up high as I was cleaning dead vines off of an 8′ trellis is all it took to do it. Getting old isn’t for sissies…
I love the head on this bird. The way it is lifted up looks very dancer-like to me.
You’re absolutely right, Arwen. It does!
Nice shot Ron. Even without adding more canvas, there is still enough room for a couple more wing flaps before it crashes into the frame. Would be an even better shot if the bird were smiling. It’s tough being a photographer with rotator cuff problems. Maybe you could attach a gimbal head to your window, as long as it doesn’t have “auto down”. I hit the ice and broke my wrist, bloodied my head, and tore the rotator cuff. Surgery was easy—I just slept through it. Physical therapy, not so easy. A year later and I was back to normal. Hope the cortisone works. You’ll want to be able to raise your arm high enough to scratch all the “noseeum” bites on your head.
Sterling, I’ve tried telling these birds jokes before they take off but they still don’t smile. Maybe next time I’ll reach into my bag of dirty ones…
Your “year” of recovery sounds awful. I’ll probably have nightmares about that possibility tonight, especially since I wouldn’t be able to effectively scratch all those damned gnat bites.
I hope the cortisone works. From what I understand, recovery from rotator cuff surgery is long and painful. You don’t need that.
I can see why you would like more flying room in this photo, but I also like that it is so close up.
“You don’t need that.”
My thoughts exactly, Susan. Hopefully it won’t happen.
Beautiful Image Ron. hope you feel better soon.
Thank you, John.
Both a lovely meadowlark & capture, Ron.
I’m also so sorry to hear that your on-going rotator cuff is impacting you so badly. Dealing with the problem or going ahead with surgery are both a no-win situation. The surgery itself is not the problem it’s the recovery time plus the necessary Phys. Therapy are what is a big part of your hesitation. My brother had the surgery many years ago as well as 3 open heart surgeries & the rotator cuff was the hardest to recover from. Of course he went back to work a week after surgery so that might have had something to do with it!!
Alison’s comment made me think of something. I’ve worked in Health Care my whole professional career & you could benefit from talking to an Occupational Therapist. Their main job is to help people deal with problems like yours & are great at developing tools to help people do the activities that are important to their daily life – and your photography meets that need. Think about it.
Your occupational therapist suggestion is a good one, Jo Ann – I hadn’t thought of that possibility and will keep it in mind. Thanks!
Oh! Oh! Oh! That gear can be sooooo heavy!!! Is your med team hoping for a cure..or temp. relief??? (This is a beautiful shot…and most amazing, it isn’t singing!!!)…,,, i sure hope the cortisone does the trick….
Patty, we’re not sure yet if it’s actually a torn cuff or it’s just strained tendons. If it’s the latter it should heal, given enough time.
Cortisone injections versus surgery… what a dilemma.
Hope everything works out for the best.
As do I, Jorge. Thanks for the good wishes.
First I want to say, I am praying for your recovery. Get well soon. Hope the medicine works.
I don’t comment everyday, because most of the time when I see your blog, it’s end of the day, and whatever I wanted to say, your other friends have already said. I am reading this today just after breakfast, and after admiring the bird and your skill, I felt compelled to write my thought.
Nowadays my father, in India, is also following your blog. He is a huge admirer. And everyday he says thanks to you.
So get well soon, all of us want you to be back in the field and sharing your gems with us.
Thanks for letting me know that your father is a regular reader, Rima. I fairly often see visitors in my blog stats from India so it’s nice to (sort of) know who one of them is.
This photo is just lovely! I’m sorry to hear your rotator cuff problems are so extensive, and very much hope you get good relief with the cortisone injections! As a designer I’m wondering if there’s some sort of shoulder harness that could be devised to help prop up and stabilize your camera without your rotator cuff being called into constant play…
Thanks, Alison. I do most of my shooting from my pickup window so my biggest issue with the damaged shoulder while shooting is reaching over to my right in the vehicle to lift up the heavy lens with my bum right arm. The other problem is lifting my right arm and hand up to the shutter button, though that one isn’t as problematic.
Good luck with the treatment and thanks for the description of the way you added to the frame. Meadowlarks are a favorite bird of mine. Common many years ago it is now quite a treat to see one in Wisconsin.
Thanks, Wendy. Thankfully, meadowlarks are still common around here. I hope that never changes…