It’s a simple shot and it may be a ‘bird on a stick’ but I like it.
1/2500, f/6.3, 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 I spent some time in an area in the mountains I hadn’t visited for a long time. Cedar Waxwings were hawking insects from the tops of several types of berry bushes and I happened to catch this one in nice light with a clean and mostly dark background. The bird is perfectly aligned with the diagonal perch and as a result both bird and branch are sharp throughout.
I like some photos for their simplicity and this is one of them. Waxwings are elegant birds which only adds to the appeal for me.
Some folks who like to classify bird photos would call this one a ‘bird on a stick’ (BOS) rather than a ‘bird in habitat’ (BIH) and depending on which style you prefer this one may or may not appeal to you.
But I think both styles can have their charm.
Ron
So soft looking! Not the photo the bird…..
April, it’s always a relief when it isn’t the bird… 🙂
“…a simple shot…”. As they say, simplicity is the essence of beauty.
Yes, they say that Lyle. Sometimes they’re right and sometimes they’re not.
Elegant and glorious.
And for that bird the stick IS habitat of the moment so it is both BOS and BIH. Take that pickers of nits.
Good point, EC. Made me smile too.
YOWZER! Ain’t simplicity grand? And that’s not to mention the elegance of cedar waxwings! Again, YOWZER! Like others have said, s/he really doesn’t look real, but I KNOW they are–they just take elegance to a whole ‘nother level!
As for the stick versus habitat thing, folks are REALLY differentiating between the two? Fellow Nit Pickers Unite, local eleventy 12? If that’s a real thing, I’d suggest those folks really need to get out more 😉 And to those who do setup shots, let me suggest you challenge yourself to do better than that! Aspire to reach Ron’s level of artistry!! Yes, I know it’s a far reach, but ASPIRE! (NO QUIBBLING ALLOWED with those artistry and aspire comments Ron! No nit picking, either!)
“If that’s a real thing,”
It’s a real thing, Laura – at least with some. When I used to belong to a bird photography critique forum (Nature Photographers Network) BIH versus BOS was the subject of a lot of discussion. Folks definitely had their preferences and some of them felt pretty strongly about it.
I’m with Judy — “stick” or “habitat” matters not — this Waxie is a stand-out on a very complementary background. I cannot get over how these birds are so perfectly “coiffed” at all times. But it took a minute for me to realize s/he’s missing the red wingtips. Beautiful image, Ron!
I noticed the missing red tips too, Chris. Surprised me a little.
BOS, BIH, I couldn’t care less! It “works” for this shot. Lovely Waxwing! 🙂 I never tire of them…….. 😉
Finally have a screaming Kingfisher flying though the yard. A funny one with it a couple of days ago. It perched on the arch to my garden eyeballing my pond(8′ metal stock tank). I don’t think the lone occupant – a 15″ Butterfly Koi – was in any danger! 🙂
Yup, I think your koi is safe, Judy.
Great Blue Heron shows up it might be a different story……….. 😉 Have had one around in late summer with VERY low creek but never tried it to my knowledge – pretty tight quarters and lots of plant cover…….
The sparse foreground and nice background really shift attention to the “airbrushed” beauty of the waxwing itself. Seems almost perfect to me.
I agree, Billi. I rarely think “airbrushed” when I look at any of my bird photos but on those occasions when I do it’s usually a waxwing.
It seems like everyone else had a similar reaction to mine–he looks
“sculpted”—the angle of the light and his elegantly smoothed feathers
give him a quality of perfection that one expects from an artist’s exacting
hand–“THE great artist” is usually a lot more casual…..gorgeous !
That’s a good way to put it. Thanks, Kris.
It looks so perfect it doesn’t look real.
I like it too 😁
Good. Thanks, Diana.
Perfectly groomed for a perfect and very sharp photo. Bird on a stick is fine with me. Bird on whatever is ok with me. They really are handsome birds. And you got the catch eye that can be so hard sometimes with that dark black eye in that dark black background. Great shot.
Thank you, Everett.
Great shot. Love the simplicity and the bokeh with the razor sharp focus contrasted with the background. Many of my shots are taken at F4 or 2.8, with my 300 2.8 and depending on if I am using my TC. I love the contrast and speed with that set up.
Thanks, Adam.
I rarely shoot ‘faster’ than f/5.6 but then that’s my limit with my f/4 lens with the teleconverter attached, which it usually is. Most often I’m shooting at f/6.3.
Lovely and elegant. Not a feather out of place…maybe a tiny one by his left leg but he looks like a porcelain statue. Everything blends well. 😍
“he looks like a porcelain statue”
You’re right, he does Kathy. A little like Wedgwood porcelain.
Just lovely. Not sure I fully appreciate the difference between a stick and habitat, but elegant is definitely the word for this little guy …
“Not sure I fully appreciate the difference between a stick and habitat”
Cathy, I think those categories are largely the result of the tendency of some people to pigeonhole everything.
Those styles were partly a result of folks who shoot ‘setups” because the perches they provide for their birds are often bare ‘sticks’ like this one. But believe me, this shot wasn’t a setup.
Great shot!
Thanks, Dick.