Dapper red-head
Jul, 2013Views
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This was taken in Two Rivers park just outside Little Rock ArkansasTime
Mid-morning on a bright summers day.Lighting
All-natural lighting amongst a grove of oak trees. My little friend had flew away twice and been in horrible shadows, until I was about to walk away when he appeared on the sunny side of the tree. Note the dark green background of leaves and other trees is slightly in more shadowEquipment
My camera is still a great point and shoot with settings and a good lens. It is a Nikon CoolPix 520 with a 42X Wide optical zoom and a 100 mm focal length. Gives me pretty good distance but a small aperature.Inspiration
I was doing my normal stalking of deer and other game that exists in this park and had been out for hours. As I walked back to the car, I spotted this true red headed woodpecker, which I have seen only once in Arkansas. I tried for twenty minutes trying to catch him in good light and focus, when that perfect moment came along.Editing
I never use photoshop or other ways to alter the shot. I do use Nikon post-processing/editing software to adjust color and brightness mostly to get rid of the permanent summer humidity haze, but that is it.In my camera bag
Just my CoolPix520 and a Manfrotto monopod that I will sometimes use for extreme distance steady viewFeedback
Patience in a "target rich" environment, and once you spot your subject, it pays to look at the light before your subject appears. With nature, you just have to be ready, but setting the scene and planning is essential. Then just plain luck if and when the animal appears
