Under one of the particular trees a bunch of these guys kept going to the ground for some fallen berries. I decided to go at it "shorebird photography" style and went down and slowly belly crawled on the grass towards them. I got a bunch of neat ground-level feeding images and at one point I was concentrating on a closer individual. That individual was rather ratty, but being so close to it I was pretty excited and continued snapping away. It was only a few minutes that I realized that even closer to me was this beautiful specimen that I had somehow escaped my vision and fed quietly six feet away from me! Full-frame image
Canon 7D + 100-400L @400mm, manual exposure, evaluative metering, 1/1000s., f/7.1, ISO 800, nayural light, handheld, the orange leaf darkened (burn tool), and the grey area in front of the bird toned down (this was another waxwing but undiscernible and clone stamped at 20% opacity).
I love the low angle and the bird is tack sharp. I originally thought some of the FG grasses were distracting but I think it actually helps communicate the environment. TFS
Excellent close up image, Daniel. Your going down on your belly paid divident on a big way. I have never been so close to a Bohemian Waxwing. I can see why you chose this crop; show the nice pattern on the wing and part of the habitat.
I especially like the head, with this beutiful eye and the berry in the beak.
Hi Dan, your low level capture has really turned out well here - eye to eye. Having said that, what a lovely looking eye, and we also have a great view of the tongue too. You have also brought out the finer detail in the plumage so well. The distant BG looks good too. Well captured.
Daniel, I can't think of another bird photographer who so consistently impresses and inspires me in two important ways: 1) Your love of birds is evident in your photography and thusly your photographs are often vital and zesty and 2) you are remarkably adept at making the best of a good situation. So there! Rather than keeping these thoughts to myself, I figured I'd share them with you and others here on this forum. As for this particular photo, it's an intriguing and refreshing look at a beautiful species. To my taste, the grassblades at picture's bottom carry this picture. Your Bohemian Waxwing series has been lovely, and it's been my favorite collection of pictures since your shorebird series. Many thanks.
Wow, this is an incredible close-up and personal view! Awesome colors & details of eye, open bill, tongue, berry, feathers...the wax drops on the wing balance the composition just right. I also like the soft, blurred foreground grasses. I agree with Jack, your images are very impressive and distinctive (in a good way, of course !)
Hi Daniel,
I love the tack sharp IQ and the berry and the tongue, eye and the details in the feathers.
Personally, I find the OOF blades a bit distracting and wish you were about 6 inches higher to get rid of the blade in front of the "red and yellow wax".
Still a lovely image,
Gail
Oh , what a shot. Love the detail in the eye, the low POV, the blurred grass, the light and even the berry !. You have just inspired me to get out again and have a go at the ones near me again. I had got fed up of them- is that possible-Roll on Friday when I am off work.Well done with this one Daniel.
Very cool Daniel. Superb IQ, nice angle and great look at the tongue. Personally I tend to not like cut grass in my photos so, if mine, I would try to do something with the foreground leaves, especially the one intersecting the "wax". But that's just me ....
I like the eye, exposure, details, sharpness, fallen leaf compliments the bird well and the tongue appears to be piercing the berry. Excellent image Daniel!
And noooow you're just showing off...awesome image!
Everytime I get a chance like this there's snow on the ground. So that's
what I love most about this image...the warmth. Lots of other bells and whistles of course....
I really like how you rendered the eye here.
Bohemian Waxwing Portrait.
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