Sweet Sparrow

[Arthur Morris]

This singing Savannah Sparrow was photographed in Kukak Bay, AK with the Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the 1.4X II TC and the EOS-1D MIII. ISO 500. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop: 1/500 sec. at f/10. (Audio used.)

The perch was a natural one. When we played the song and turned it off when the bird came to the perch, it would sing repeatedly without flying off.

Don't be shy; all comments welcome.

[Aidan Briggs]

Lovely singing pose, exposure, and sweet light. I would have liked more DOF for the tail, but it looks as though that would have brought the grasses(?) in the BG more into focus.

[Axel Hildebrandt]

I like the singing pose, details, perch and BG. Is the bird sitting on a rock or is this a piece of wood?

[Arthur Morris]

Hi Axel, It is a weathered stump. Aiden, consider yourself lucky that I was at f/10!

[Rod Wiley]

Very nice, I take it f10 is the sweet spot for your lens and TC combo?

[Juan Carlos Vindas]

As usual. I enjoy seen your work.
Love the singing pose and BG. Could the eye go a bit lighter?

[Ilija Dukovski]

Love the BG, great singing pose and nice natural perch. Great sharpness with 800mm +TC even at 1/500.
These guys love to sing hidden in the grass so it is really useful to know that you used audio.

[Arthur Morris]

Very nice, I take it f10 is the sweet spot for your lens and TC combo?

Hi Rod, No. For the most part I work at f/8 with the 1.4X (which is wide open) and the stuff is killer sharp. Actually, the 800 is the sharpest lens I have ever worked with. For this image, with lots of light and a fairly distant BKGR, I stopped down a bit. For early 26 years my way has been to focus on the eye and **** the depth-of-field.... The only times that I try to stop down is when I am very close to a small bird or when shooting over the shoulder/up the bird's butt images.

[Arthur Morris]

As usual. I enjoy seen your work. Love the singing pose and BG. Could the eye go a bit lighter?

Hi JC, Thanks. I already lightened the iris and it looks fine on the TIFF. It is risky going much lighter as it can get very phony looking. And to save time I prepare my JPEGs with a generic action so what is, is :)

[Arthur Morris]

Love the BG, great singing pose and nice natural perch. Great sharpness with 800mm +TC even at 1/500.
These guys love to sing hidden in the grass so it is really useful to know that you used audio.

Thanks Ilija, This bird was amazingly responsive as was one a decade ago in Churchill where I was first introduced to audio by Cliff Beittel.

[Ilija Dukovski]

Thanks Ilija, This bird was amazingly responsive as was one a decade ago in Churchill where I was first introduced to audio by Cliff Beittel.

Is it the one on page 127 of The Art of Bird Photography?;)
You've got a killer BG there too.:)

[Arthur Morris]

That's the one. I like this one better

[Morkel Erasmus]

pops very nicely Artie! interesting to hear your thoughts on DOF on the entire bird. on some sites locally I get lambasted for not getting everything in :), whereas I kind of like the odd one being slightly OOF at the tail.

so, yeah, sweet image, nice colours, BG makes the bird pop nicely. which kind of tune do you use? a recording of the same type of bird?

[Arthur Morris]

Hi Mork, Thanks. I here the same stuff all the time. My style is focus on the eye wide open and who cares if I like it. We used an i-pod to play the song of the species. Dan wrote a great tutorial on audio in ER. Check it out. It will work in S.A. too....

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Artie, super pose, well timed to capture the open beak, and like the softer colours in this. Would love to see and hear these audio setups. Could you capture an image of how you guys go about it.

[Arthur Morris]

Hi Artie, super pose, well timed to capture the open beak, and like the softer colours in this. Would love to see and hear these audio setups. Could you capture an image of how you guys go about it.

Hi Stuart, I do not have an image but Dan's article in ER tells all and more. A picture would just show a speaker wire leading up to a nice perch... (I have never used a blind in conjunction with audio.)

[Michael Wolf]

Excellent capture in great lighting with a to die for background that truly compliments the Sparrow !

[Morkel Erasmus]

thanks Artie - I think I know what you're talking about. Myself, Kobus Tollig and Mark Dumbleton used it the other day to call out Marsh Owls.

[Ramon M. Casares]

Very nice singing pose, excelent light, wonderfull BG, superb perch and lovely colors and exposure. Congratulations!