Angry Bird
A couple of birds perched on a branch near my feeders as the snow falls. The little one looking right at the lens with what appears to be a frown. Guess it is t...
Read more
A couple of birds perched on a branch near my feeders as the snow falls. The little one looking right at the lens with what appears to be a frown. Guess it is tired of winter.
Read less
Read less
Apr, 2015Views
1290
Likes
Awards
Staff Favorite
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Magnificent Capture
Superior Skill
Outstanding Creativity
All Star
Genius
Top Ranks
Top 20 rankTop 10 rank week 1
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 1
Top 10 rank
Categories
PRO+
RDVPhotography
June 10, 2015
I know and that is why I like this image. Did not see that until I got the image on the computer : D
PRO+
RDVPhotography
June 22, 2015
Jelieta, thanks. I was surprised by this one. Think it was awarded from the 850 Birds on Banches contest :D
PRO+
PRO+
RDVPhotography
March 26, 2016
This was taken right out my front door. I just stood still for awhile, I like the sort of angry stare on this bird. Thanks for the vote.
PRO+
kathymuhle
May 16, 2016
Love the details and the right one looks like an Angry Bird character! Voted
PRO+
PRO+
PRO+
PRO+
RDVPhotography
September 09, 2017
Thanks Sanne, we don't get much snow but it sure was "Christmassy" on this day, Thanks Ron
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Discover more photos See all
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken off my front porch on February 27, 2015 during a snowstorm. I stood in the corner of the porch by the front door with a camouflage jacket and pants on and a black stocking cap. I stood very still behind my tripod and eventually several birds started perching in a Crepe Myrtle tree where we have a bird feeder. We have eight bird feeders around the house and this draws all kinds of birds to our property, especially in the winter.Time
This photo was taken at 4:23 PM. I spent over 5 hours standing on the front porch, our side porch and the back porch during the time it was snowing this day and took over 160 photos, keeping only 60 of them.Lighting
The lighting changed throughout the day with mostly cloudy conditions during the snowfall and I had to make adjustments due to this. The camera I was using had an APS-C sensor and due to noise problems at high ISO I used a fixed ISO of 640 for all my shots as I knew the amount of noise at this setting was acceptable and editable. I then adjusted the aperture and shutter speed to compensate for the low light conditions. I also changed from a 300mm f/4 lens to a faster 70-200mm f/2.8 lens for several shots my last hour of shooting but many of these were not keepers due to low light conditions.Equipment
I used a Canon 50D with a Canon 300mm f/4 lens on a Gitzo Tripod with Really Right Stuff Ball Head for this photo along with a remote shutter. I used the remote shutter control for two reasons; first to reduce any camera shake and second to reduce my movements while shooting. This as well as other shots I took this day all used natural light. The settings for this photo are as follows: Focal Length 300mm, Aperture f5.6, Shutter 1/400 sec and ISO 640.Inspiration
My inspiration for photography on this day was the snow conditions, as living in this part of Texas we do not get many days with heavy snow like happened on this day. The birds were all over our feeders and it just was the perfect time to capture some great shots.Editing
I use Light Room and process with RAW images for all my work. For this image I started by enabling the lens profile, like I do for all my images. I then did some cropping to fill the frame with the subjects. After this I reduced the noise and sharpened the image. I then went to the basic settings adjustments to adjust highlights, shadows, white clipping and black clipping. Following this I then did some minor adjustments to clarity and vibrance, then made adjustments to the tone curve. My final edits consisted of color adjustments using the luminance sliders. I then exported the posted image as a JPG file adding my watermark and using standard sharpening for screen.In my camera bag
What I have in my bag depends on what I have planned. In this case had I been going to the local wildlife refuge for bird photography, I would have taken my Canon 50D along with a Canon 300mm f/4 lens, Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 lens and a 1.4X multiplier lens. I also would have had an extra battery and probably a couple extra memory cards as well as my tripod. However, usually when I go to the refuge I also carry my 5D Mk II along with a couple wide angle lens for landscape work as well as a set of graduated ND filters. Being home I had access to all my photography equipment so it was rather easy to choose what I needed.Feedback
The best advice I can give for photographing wildlife is to have patience! Also plan for what you are trying to do. By plan I mean decide where you are going, what the conditions are going to be. Besides the camera gear you need to think about what you are wearing. You want to blend in with the background you are photographing in so no bright colors, camouflage clothing works great. Also what kind of shoes or boots do you need? Is it dry or wet? Will you need bug spray? If your lens gets wet do you have something to clean the drops of water off. Know your equipment and how it works! Know your equipment limitations, can the camera you are using get decent images when shooting high ISO? Now if you want to capture an image similar to what I have here, you not only need to plan as I mentioned above but you need to prepare in advance on how to draw birds to your yard. Where do you hang the feeder? Is the place you hang it have a nice place for the birds to perch where you can capture nice images? There are many challenges to wildlife photography and I have only been doing it for a little over 5 years. Before that I was mainly a landscape photographer going all the way back to film days. Unlike landscapes, wildlife moves around so just have patience and have fun.
