Hmm tastes like chicken
Male northern cardinal enjoying a bug it grabbed from the tree bark.
Male northern cardinal enjoying a bug it grabbed from the tree bark.
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Apr, 2014Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
I snapped this shot in my yard. I love watching birds and this one was perched on a tree when it reached down and grabbed a bug. Northern cardinals (this species) generally eat seeds so I was surprised to see it grab an insect. Then I thought of the old joke about everything tasting like chicken.Time
Middle of the afternoon. I can sit and watch birds at any and all hours of the day and prefer nice sunny afternoons.Lighting
Most of my nature shots are natural lighting. The more sunlight the better as far as I'm concerned.Equipment
Nikon D7100 camera body with a Nikkor 70-300 mm lens. No flash, no tripod. I shoot mostly handheld because out in nature I like the freedom to move quickly if I need to.Inspiration
I'm always looking for interesting behavior in animals that I'm photographing. Northern cardinals are possibly one of the most commonly photographed birds in North America so if I take a photo of that species, I like the pose or behavior to be unique.Editing
For this photo I did very little post processing. I used Adobe's photoshop elements to crop for composition and adjust the brightness. I was lucky to have the right lighting for this shot.In my camera bag
I normally have my Nikon camera body along with a couple of lenses. I have upgraded lenses since this photo was taken. I have a Tamron 150-600mm and a Tamron 18-400mm lens. I also keep a clean microfiber cloth, some insect repellent and sunscreenFeedback
Learn about your subject and the outdoor sunlight situation in the area you plan to be shooting. For example, I know that certain areas of my yard will have too many shadows at specific times of the day and other areas will have beautiful golden light filtering through at other times of the day. For wildlife, be familiar with the habits of each animal. Mostly just have fun and take the shots when they present themselves.
