Ring-necked Pheasant flight explosion

[John Chardine]

I take a break from the Antarctic series to explore cropping with this Ring-necked Pheasant in flight. I was watching this male in a corn stubble field and it started to call which was an indication of imminent take-off. I rotated to the left in my car seat and tried to follow the bird for as long as I could.

So here's the problem with strangely proportioned birds- anything with long appendages in relation to body size- in this case a very long, thin tail. This bird is more or less central in the frame but I did not want to give less space to the left for fear of making the poor bird appear to be flying into a wall. The body and wings of the bird are predominant and the tail almost disappears because it's so thin- but you can't crop it off of course! Anyway this is what I ended up with. Comments welcome of course (more of Antarctica to come soon).

Date: 11 January, 2012, Time: 1602h
Model: Canon EOS-1D Mark IV
Lens: EF400mm f/4 DO IS USM +1.4x = 560 mm
Program: Aperture Priority
ISO 800, 1/2500s, f/8
Exp. comp.: +0.7
Flash: no flash
Hand held from car

[Andrew Merwin]

John, I like this image & I think the crop is right on. I also like the left wing shadow on the right wing. The ring necks around here are very shy & very difficult to get close enough for an image. So, I'm impressed that you captured this beauty.

[John Chardine]

Thanks Andrew. They are skittish here too, although locally they are not hunted. This one was a ways in the field but the 560 mm allowed a reasonable in-camera crop.

[Kerry Perkins]

Nice catch John, I think this is a rare opportunity indeed. Tough bird to photograph but you did a great job! The crop is fine, I don't think it would work any other way. You have at least one third of the image as negative space, which works for me. Love the colors and flight pose.

[Ravi Hirekatur]

John,
I love the colors and the pose. Great picture!

[Paul Guris]

The crop works for me because the tail ties the bird to the right edge of the frame even though it's relatively thin. The left edge is nice and open. I really like the soft focus habitat (corn stubble?) underneath it.

BTW, I think this might be a Green Pheasant or a Ring-necked x Green hybrid. The entire front of the bird looks like a Green to me but the rear looks more like Ring-necked. Pheasants are transplants to this continent and were doing well on their own for awhile. Now they seem to be disappearing in some areas and if it wasn't for stocking they would probably be all but gone from NJ and eastern PA. I don't know how they are holding up in other areas of the country. The birds they stock aren't necessarily bred for purity so they can vary wildly. Back when I was a kid pheasants seemed to be much more consistent in plumage.

[Jeff Cashdollar]

John,

Is this another new lens, I thought about purchasing the 400-DO but not sure it was right for me. Tell me about the lens, it must feel good to have 560mm in your hands with such light weight.

Regarding the post, this is a difficult bird to capture and frame, given the situation and species well done. I tend to like seeing unique birds and original things this is both. Good technique with the ISO given the f/8 aperture and BIF action, the colors are stunning.

[John Chardine]

Thanks everyone for the great comments. Paul- I hadn't thought about Green Pheasant genes being in our pheasant pool but I suppose it is possible. I know locally we see some very dark, almost melanistic males.

Jeff- Yes I got the 400DO second hand from someone here at BPN. I really like it though haven't really had a chance to use it much (time of year). You notice the small size and lightness right away. It seems to take the tc well. I'll be shooting eagles with it in a couple of weeks and can say more then.

[Jeff Cashdollar]

John,

What next a 800MM and a couple of Leica's.

[John Chardine]

Probably not Jeff, but the next one will likely be the new Canon 500/4 version II!

[Doug Brown]

Way to go John!

[Randy Stout]

John:

I think the crop is quite effective. I like the inclusion of the corn stubble, really ties him into his environment.

I grew up in Iowa, with a very large population of ring necked pheasants. This fellow is much much darker on the front than any I saw, and I have probably seen thousands of them over the years. I certainly don't have your experience with local variations, but thought I would chime in with my .02.

Very effective image.

cheers

Randy