Cedar Waxwing (2)
Mar, 2015Views
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ritchiedalewheeler
April 17, 2015
Cedar waxwings are fantasticly beautiful birds. They travel in flocks like blackbirds.
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
I was in my living room when I looked out the window and noticed a flock of Cedar Waxwings. They were feeding on some berries from a tree in my backyard here in the Star community located in Rankin County, Mississippi.Time
There are a lot of trees in my backyard so good lighting seems to be in the afternoon which proved true on this day. I remember thinking that my house might be casting a shadow on this particular tree as I eased around the western corner in an attempt to get close enough for a shot. I was happy to see that the Cedar Waxwing was bathed in good, or at least what I called good sunlight on this sunny day. The Cedar Waxwing remained in place just long enough to take this picture at about 2:00pm this day.Lighting
I was really concerned about the lighting this day because this particular tree is right behind my house on the west end. Lighting was crucial because I only had an 18 - 55mm kit lens that came with my Nikon D5300. I had just recently purchased it and wasn't skilled enough to adjust the settings to compensate for the low light at this time. The light was crucial at this time and had to pass through some trees before lighting my subject so timing was important.Equipment
This picture was shot handheld on a Nikon D5300 with an 18 -55mm lens at f/5.6. No other equipment was used.Inspiration
I had been watching this particular flock of Cedar Waxwings for a few days admiring their beauty. They are one example of the beauty nature provides and I wanted to capture it in a photo. I was inspired while watching them as the sunlight revealed the beautiful colors of this bird and prompted me to grab my camera.Editing
I post processed this image through Adobe Lightroom. Being new to photography and Lightroom I only increased the saturation of the bird’s colors and used the spot removal tool to get rid of a small branch along with some cropping.In my camera bag
I have my Nikon D5300, which I love and it's my first DSLR. It came with an 18 - 55mm lens but I will be adding more lenses in the future. I also have a cheap tripod and a camera remote. My kit might be considered minimal at this time, but it will grow as my experience and love for wildlife photography grows.Feedback
Photographing birds can be frustrating at times due to their constant movement and their ability to fly away just as you're about to push the shutter release. I've learned to move slowly without making abrupt movements while on nature hikes. Photographing birds with an 18 - 55mm kit lens can be very challenging if you don't have a blind set up in your backyard where the birds come to you. It is a lot easier with a bigger lens but if you're like me and have a limited budget you need to have patience, motivation, and determination to get good photos with a small lens. You should learn as much about your subject as possible and pay close attention to their habits in the wild. I honestly believe these "drawbacks" have forced me to become a better photographer.
