I don’t post portraits very often but sometimes I can’t resist.
1/4000, f/5.6, ISO 800, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
Two days ago as I drove up on this young Black-necked Stilt ‘he’ was just standing around and watching his nearby parent forage for food. He was close and I thought the dark blue pond water as a background might be appealing so I opted to crop this photo as a portrait. I like its simplicity. And the detail of course.
Notice the double catch light in his eye. The brighter top one is a direct reflection of the sun and with birds in water the bottom, less intense catch light (if there is one) is usually a reflection of the sun off the water’s surface. But in this case there was no water between me and the bird so the bottom catch light must be a reflection of the sun off of the surface of my pickup – most likely my bumper.
Some bird photographers find double catch lights to be distracting so they remove the bottom one during processing. I’m fine with this one.
Ron
The double catchlight (once you pointed it out) reminds me of the sun coming up over a body of water.
So sweet! Want to reach out and give him a little pet.
Go ahead, Catherine!
Lovely
Thanks, April.
Absolutely gorgeous.
Thanks, EC.
You’ve got a little charmer here along with superb feather detail enhanced by the background. And whose heartstrings aren’t pulled by this portrayal of youthful innocence?
I am mystified by the large iris opening with all the light directed at the eye, unless I’m misinterpreting eye catches, or bird eye physiology, or both.
Lyle, I wondered about the same thing. They have a reddish or brownish iris but with him looking into the light, what looks to be his pupil seems to be too large. I dunno…
I wonder if that large pupil may be part of what makes him or her so appealing? As many of you probably know Italian women would use drops of this substance to dilate their eyes to make them more attractive – hence the name. Some weekend trivia. Or some weekend beauty tips.
Frances, If I used that stuff I’d have to fight the women off!
“Fine” indeed, Ron. Very fine.
Thanks, Michael.
Beautiful portrait Ron of one of my favorite shorebirds. I like the double catch-eye. I don’t always read all the comments, but I just did of those who have commented so far and I love Mark’s humor, and agree with Alison on sweet.
Your skills combined with that R5 are producing some really sharp shots.
Everett, lately I’ve actually been getting some shots with the R5 that were soft when they shouldn’t be. I hope it isn’t the beginning of a trend.
I’m with Allison in perceiving a gentle and mild “expression” on the bird’s
face ( maybe the marking, which mimics a raised eyebrow on a human ).
I liked the close look at the bill, which has a handsome “mahogany” color
that I’ve not seen before on a bird…..
Kris, I noticed that that bill color almost exactly matches the color of his iris.
Nice! Everything came together for it’s “protrait” 🙂
No yellow legs on the creek yesterday – mostly killdeer and “flocking blackbirds”. A couple of shore birds larger than the killdeer with dark back/light belly that was REALLY into a bath…. 😉
Sounds like you’ve got another mystery bird to ID, Judy.
What a cutie! Great portrait Ron. I’m sure his parents will be reaching out to order a few prints.
Made me smile, Mark.
I like everything about this photo, including the double lights! Is it my imagination or is this a particularly sweet expression?
Thanks, Alison. His expression looks pretty typical to me but what do I know…
He’s beautiful!
Hey Shelley. I’m glad you like him.