![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/sage-grouse-3394b-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"sage-grouse-3394b-ron-dudley\\"")
<\/p>\nYou won’t catch me using camera settings like these very often.<\/p>\n
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1\/640, f\/5.6, ISO 3200, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n This is an older photo of a male Greater Sage Grouse strutting his stuff on a lek in Wayne County, Utah. It was taken long before sunrise so my ISO was cranked up into territory my camera hadn’t seen before and hasn’t seen since. Even so my shutter speed was barely adequate for the situation.<\/p>\n I like many things about the photo taken in such challenging conditions but what really jumps out at me is the almost perfect symmetry of the bird. About the only asymmetry I notice is the tip of the middle tail feather that isn’t quite centered behind his head because he was facing ever so slightly to my left.\u00a0Another plus is the catch light in his right eye. There was just enough light in the eastern horizon to provide it.<\/p>\n Yes, there’s some noticeable noise in the background but with my older 7D Mark II at ISO 3200 I don’t think it’s bad at all. Because sharpening increases noise I sharpened the bird selectively rather than globally in order to avoid additional noise in the background. I could have applied noise reduction to the background but I chose not to.<\/p>\n Sage Grouse should be performing on leks very soon if they aren’t already. If you have an opportunity to see their performances, don’t miss it. I predict it will be one of the more memorable experiences of your life.<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Note: If you’d like to vicariously experience Sage Grouse performing on a lek I suggest you visit this Audubon link<\/a><\/span> and watch the video at the top of the screen. This lek and its setting look so much like the lek where my photo was taken I’d almost be tempted to say they’re one and the same (they’re not). The only thing missing is the sounds of the performing males.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" You won’t catch me using camera settings like these very often.<\/p>\n