Song of the Western Meadowlark

[Kurt Bowman]

One of my favorite songs to hear is the song of the Western Meadowlark. It also lets me know spring is close by.

1D MIV
500mm
beanbag

[Jean Chang]

This has to be one of the prettiest shots I've seen. My only niggle is the eye could be a bit brighter. Maybe increase the catch-light size in Photoshop? Wow, that's such a great pose, though! Love it!

Now looking more closely, maybe the whole thing could be brighter, at least the shadows on its breast--or else it could just be my monitor.

[DanWalters]

Great color and nice clean background.

[WIlliam Maroldo]

Very nice composition and subject. Good detail as well, with a classic pose. Although the image is a bit underexposed, the biggest problem is the side lighting, and the shadows on the left side of the bird. Actually, the same side lighting scheme would have been far more successful if reversed; the light was from the left, and the wonderful meadowlark trademark yellow wasn't hidden partly by shadow. Other than that, well done image. regards~Bill

[Chris Hansen]

Kurt,

Thank you for the superb shot. I love the composition and the eye contact. It has a pleasant background too. It also helps that it is one of my favorite birds and the first bird I learned to imitate as a kid growing up in Colorado. Keep them coming.

God bless,

chris

[Adrian David]

Very nice bird in a gorgeous singing pose.It seems that the light was a little harsh.

[Ignacio Yufera]

I love everything about this; the light works just fine for me, bright and strong but that emphasizes the energetic pose. I can almost hear the bird's voice!

I have tried to shoot these guys in Alberta, Canada, but they always seem very skittish :(

[Kurt Bowman]

Thanks all for the comments. Adrian, not sure why you think the light is harsh? This was morning light about 45 minutes after sunrise. Can you explain?

[Kaustubh Deshpande]

Kurt, you got this one in the best pose. I like how you have placed the bird in the frame. And a killer background. Light angle issue noted above...but at times, you cannot get all the 4-5 things that are needed. What you got here is really good. I think it does need a bit of lightening....it should be possible in RAW processing...keep an eye on the red channel though. Thx for sharing.

[Kurtis Diffenbaugh]

Kurt, great photo. Perfect pose for the Meadowlark. (Probably my favorite songbird.) I agree with Kaustubh that it could use a bit of lightening or at least try it and see if you like it.

[Doug Brown]

Awesome singing pose. Good eye contact. Nice sharpness. As mentioned above the light angle is not ideal, but it's still good. I don't find the light to be at all harsh.

[Markus Jais]

Great shot. The open bill is fantastic. I like the light, the calm BG and the sharpness.

Markus

[Myer Bornstein]

I like the picture, it brought memories of Visting my son when he was stationed in Cheyenne Wyoming and being woken up by the meodowlark just outside the window in the same pose

[Julie Brown]

Gorgeous image, Kurt. I would be thrilled to have one of these birds in my viewfinder!:)

[david cramer]

Light doesn't seem harsh to me at all. Lovely pose and good detail. I can hear him singing away.