Cardinal in the Snow

[Linda Dulak]

Like Axel, I've been looking at some of the images I took in the snow of winter as a relief from the heat we are experiencing here. This image was taken In early February after a snow storm which left about 6 inches of snow on the ground. Previously, I had found a stick in the woods with some intriguing growths on it. I placed the stick in the snow a few inches behind my footsteps. I placed seed in the tracks, positioned myself in a chair with the camera on a tripod in front of me and waited. The birds flocked to the area and often would step up on the stick before jumping into the foot tracks to get some seed. It was a goldmine for some nice images of the winter feeder birds in high key.

Nikon D300, 80-400 mm at 370 mm, ISO 400, f8, 1/400 s, EC +1
PP -- removed some spots in the background and a small portion of the base of the feeder which was visible.

[Troy Lim]

Linda,

Gorgeous shot, nice details. Head seems a bit softer than the wings area, where was the FP?

[Nico Steenberg]

Great low angle and comp. Like the perch. IMG is sharp and well exposed with good natural colours !

[Nicki Gwynn Jones]

Beautiful image Linda - that is a spectacular perch :D

[Axel Hildebrandt]

I like the perch, angle, mood and snowy setting as it is another hot day. :) I would try to get more details in the blacks and lighten the iris some more.

[Alan Murphy]

Great planning to get this shot. The lack of detail in the snow hurts this a bit IMO.

[Norm Dulak]

Linda:

The fungi on the perch add an artistic element to what is an excellent pose of a beautiful bird. I also appreciate what you did to get this image.

That was a rough time for the birds with the snow cover; their normal food sources were not available. This photo was a just reward for the support you provided with the seed.:)

We as photographers should always look for such opportunities to support the wildlife we enjoy. And I know that you also provided a terrific feeding station for all of the birds through this past, exceptionally snowy winter.

Norm

[Linda Dulak]

Thanks everyone. I think the focus point was on the eye, Troy, but I can't be sure as I no longer have the card to get that info in camera. If it can be obtained from PS3 or 5, I haven't found it yet. Axel, the original has better definition in the eye, but when I converted for the Web I lost some of that. When printing, I'll make sure it's there. Thanks. Alan -- none of the whites are pegged in the original and I might be able to bring out some of the texture of the snow. I'll have to try that. As for the perch -- I liked it the moment I saw it. There are more like it in the woods and I think I'll try some more pieces for perches in the future. And yes, we've done a lot to help the birds in the area. With more than 50 inches of snow here this last winter it was tough for the birds and we kept a full feeder station. They rewarded us with some good opportunities for images.

Linda

[DanWalters]

Really like the perch and the surrounding snow. Like the little bit of snow on the beak as well.

[Mike Lentz]

It looks as if you might have blown the whites a bit, maybe re-work the RAW image to get back some details.

[Linda Dulak]

I've looked at the raw image and there are details in the snow Alan and Mike. However, I was looking for the high key effect.

Linda