A bunch of Cedar Waxwings were doing what waxwings do recently - stripping fruit trees of their berries. I had lined up in the hopes at least one would come to the edge, as we see here, but truth be told I was so concentrated on the birds that I had not noticed that this particular stem had only one berry left on it until I reviewed the images back home. There are many more trees still full of ripe fruit for them to go onto next!
Canon 7DII + 500mm f/4 II + 1.4TC III, manual exposure, evaluative metering, 1/250s., f/5.6, ISO 1600, natural light, handheld, about 80%% FF, removed a red stem barely poking out behind the neck, minor bill cleanup via spot-removal.
Lovely soft light for one of the softest feathered birds. Nice colors, soft background, and in a way the lack of berries helps tell the story of what is going on.
I might sharpen the eye just a bit. I know the feathers are showing accurately, but just a bit of pop from the eye would be nice.
A very different and attractive canvas with all the stems. If it were all stems I'd suspect it would not be quite as cool but with the one berry left there is a lot of interest added for me.
The color pop of the reds/pinks and even some subtle magentas in the bkg are pretty.
Instant fav Dan, love the berry eating crabapple strippin waxwing capers and you have presented the evidence! Lovely IQ, comp, colors, and the story. years ago i read about cedar waxwings and how the red waxy ornamental tips of some feathers remains a mystery as to the evolutionary purpose etc, ... it is indeed made of wax, fascinating.
A beauty of a shot. Love the red stems, the single berry, the pose. Shows all of the waxwing's signature points: the yellow tip on the tail, the waxy wing spot, the silky plumage. Maybe a touch of selective sharpening on the face?
A little late to this one Daniel, but glad I got here. Beautiful image all around. Love the smoothness in the colours. Agree with a tad more sharpness to the eye. Cheers.
Very nice Dan...you did well with the feather detail, not easy on these birds. Lovely pose, great BG...Love the colours on the bird...The single berry is the icing on the cake...