Blue-gray Gnatcatcher and Redbud

[Greg Lasley]

Hello All,
A friend and I were on our way home to Texas from some prairie-chicken photography in Kansas when we stopped by Wichita Mountains NWR in south-central Oklahoma in early April this year. The Redbud trees were in bloom and we found a little group of Blue-gray Gnatcatchers working in one of the blooming trees. This male gave us a few nice poses. I liked the way the redbud blossoms and the bird seemed to complement each other. It was a fun few minutes.

Canon EOS 40D
EF 600mm F/4 L IS lens and 1.4X TC
400 ISO
1/1000 sec @ F/8

[Lance Warley]

Just simply beautiful. The color of the blossums, the pose, and the details make it magnificent.

[Arthur Morris]

Hey Greg, Good to see you here. Wonderful image. Love the EXP, the COMP, and the flowers. Head angle excellent also.

[Doug Brown]

Another nice photo Greg! Love the flowers, exposure, and the pose. If you don't mind cloning, I might consider removing the twig coming off just behind the bird.

[Arthur Morris]

Cloning out that branch would be a big pain. Using Robert O'Toole's (APTATS) Quick Masking techniques to do the same thing would take minutes at most...

[Greg Lasley]

Thanks Doug and Artie,
Good advice. I need to learn Robert O'Toole's Quick Masking technique. I've seen Artie's examples of it, but have not taken the time to learn more about it. Looks as if I should. Thank you both for the comments. Artie...it's been too long. Hope to see you again sometime soon.

[Axel Hildebrandt]

Great setting and details. I also like the pose and eye contact.

[Chris Dodds]

Wow, pretty much perfect to me. Congratulations - I love this one!

[Arthur Morris]

Wow, pretty much perfect to me. Congratulations - I love this one!

Hey Chris, Welcome #2 to BPN. When you love an image or think that it is great, please try to let folks know exactly what you like about the image, and when you have a second, please read the top sticky at the top of this Forum. (We are trying to maximize the educational experience here!). Thanks bud!