Despite a relatively minor flaw this shot from yesterday morning may become a favorite songbird photo of mine.
1/2500, f/5.6, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
Yesterday morning started out with a bang. Only minutes after sunrise I encountered a small group of Song Sparrows performing their antics in a clump of phragmites at Farmington Bay WMA. They were close, the rising sun provided unusually warm light and several of the sparrows were feeling their oats so I got quite a few interesting shots I like very much. This is one of them.
I like most everything about this photo including the statuesque pose of the bird, the fluttering wings (this isn’t a takeoff shot), the beautiful phragmites plume in golden light, the clean background behind the sparrow and the compositional placement of all of the elements within the frame. The color scheme throughout appeals to me very much and with the sun very low in the sky there’s good light on the entire bird without any distracting shadows. If the sun had been higher in the sky the underside of the right wing would have been in deep shade without any detail to speak of. Excellent eye contact with a catch light tops it all off.
In my view there’s only one small problem. Sharp eyes may have noticed that the head and body of the bird aren’t quite tack sharp. The quality of light was excellent but at dawn its intensity was low so during much of my session with Song Sparrows I was struggling with both shutter speed and depth of field while photographing such active birds. In an effort to keep digital noise under control I don’t like to shoot above ISO 800 and at these focal lengths shooting at f/5.6 gives me extremely shallow depth of field.
So as you can see I was juggling with camera settings to give me the best compromise possible for photographing active birds in low light and this photo was one of my results.
But despite the flaw I’ll take it. In a heartbeat. No photo is perfect anyway.
Ron
Ron, it is a beautiful shot. Surprised that the sparrow was not taking off. Colors are spectacular. Thank you for sharing.
Very nice shot. The Sparrow looks like it is enjoying the morning.
I think it was, Jean.
Beautiful colors and nice pose. I had a similar problem in St George with White-crowned sparrows.
Thank you, April.
Ron,
What a showcase of what we usually think of as a “common” bird. Really nice.
Stephen
Stephen, As is often said even common birds can look uncommonly good when things work out.
Everything about this picture is ….Perfect ❤️
Have a good day ❗️
Thank you, Diana.
Lovely photo! My eyes aren’t sharp enough to discern the lack of sharpness you mention. There’s some good in declining eyesight! Of course, it doesn’t do much for my own photos when others look at them.
Nancy, the softness of the bird may not be apparent to many viewers at this small size and resolution. It would show more at a larger size but I’m not even sure that’s a bad thing in this case. I think the entire image has a soft feel about it.
Beautiful shot, Ron!! I love everything “sparrow” and this photo is so engaging. Love the light and the movement!
Thank you, Joanne.
You have a great eye for the artistic. Beautiful and engaging. Congratulations on this capture.
I’m glad you think so, Betty. I just hope you’re right…
What a wonderful warm photo to see on this rainy dark morning here. In addition to all the elements you mention of the image, I also like the way the curve of the wings and the phragmites complement each other.
On another note, I was out birding with a group yesterday and we saw several Rough-legged Hawks. One in the group (a much more experienced birder than I) stated that the males and females look the same. I was able to correct that statement by saying that Ron Dudley (in your previous day’s post), in referencing BNA, noted that the sexes were dimorphic. As it happened, I trailed my scope on two RLH’s side-by-side and they looked very much like Sibley’s drawings showing the dimorphism. So, thanks for that.
I love hearing stuff like that. I’m glad you remembered and made a point of it with them, Lyle. Thank you.
Spectacular!
What a beautiful shot. This photo displayed in large scale would brighten up any home.
Thanks very much, Dave.
The golden light really makes this. Love!!
Agreed. Thanks, Arwen.
Stunning! 🙂 I love everything about the photo! The sun casting such a warm glow on the area when most of the time (this time of year) everything tends to take on a very tan/grey color. The “nit picks” are certainly minor compared to the overall photo… 😉
Judy, many photographers regularly say “It’s all about the light”. Often they’re right, or nearly so. Thank you.
Really neat photo. Love the pose! The light touch of softness of the sparrow and the golden phragmites’ sharpness are a good combination here. The tiny bit of plume sharpness peeking out in the breaks of the phrag in front really shows it’s depth. The more I looked at photo brought I found myself smiling…the way his legs are posed and the wing positions, he brought back memories of ‘superman standing with his cape fluttering behind him’ !🙂
Thanks, Kathy. I think the leg positions are one of the strengths of the photo. As soon as I noticed it I wished that most of the left leg wasn’t hidden. I think that would have made the photo even better.
“No photo is perfect anyway.” So true, but the quest for one never ends. Love the colors created by the sun on the sparrow and the phragmites and even the background. And with the wings lifted and the catch-eye it comes close to perfection.
Thanks, Everett. That quest for perfection is one of the things that keeps us going.
Beautiful light and photograph, Ron!
Thank you, Ed. Coming from the master of beautiful light in your landscape photos that means a lot.