Goldfinch
(Carduelis carduelis) A highly coloured finch with a bright red face and yellow wing patch. Sociable, often breeding in loose colonies, they have a delightful l...
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(Carduelis carduelis) A highly coloured finch with a bright red face and yellow wing patch. Sociable, often breeding in loose colonies, they have a delightful liquid twittering song and call. Their long fine beaks allow them to extract otherwise inaccessible seeds from thistles and teasels. Increasingly they are visiting birdtables and feeders.
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Jul, 2017Views
322
Likes
Awards
People's Choice in Your Native Birds Photo Challenge
Peer Award
Top Choice
Magnificent Capture
Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
Superior Skill
Outstanding Creativity
Emotions
Happy
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
The picture was taken at Frampton Marsh RSPB Nature Reserve.Time
It was taken at about 1400hrs. We had hust returned to the Visitor Centre for lunch. The bird feeders are next to the centre and you can see the birds through the window, so, while eating lunch we take the opportuntiy to take pictures of the smaller native birds through the windows.Lighting
We were lucky it was a very bright day, and even through a window, the view was very clear.Equipment
Canon EOS5DMkIII with a Tamron SP150-600mm F5.6-6.3 VC USD G2. Hand held with shutter speed 1/1600sec; aperture f11 and ISO1600 (though the camera setting for the ISO was Automatic).Inspiration
As with much wildlife photography you take what is there to take - pure good fortune and patience. Sitting at the table eating lunch with the camera at hand and the bird lands just by the window, perfect for a good shot as it was isolated from other birds, the feeders and the background of bushes. Quick reactions needed to pick up the camera and run a burst of shots, nearly all of which are of high quality. Very satisfying to get the results I was hoping for. Truth is I had not used the lens a great deal and it was only about my third time out with it. My wife had persuaded me to buy it so that I could "have some fun" before I started a course of radiotherapy for cancer a week after this picture was taken. She wanted to to "lift my spirits", and the success of this picture is a great reward for her and I would like to thank everyone who voted for it.Editing
Very litle, as I believe in realism and always shoot in RAW, so cropping and minimal colour enhancements and sharpening were done in RAW. Once developed as a jpeg there was some denoising and the image size was resized to 1600 pixels on the long side (for uploading as we have a very poor internet connection).In my camera bag
Canon EF 70-300mm F4-5.6 L IS USM; Canon EF 24-105mm F4 L: Hoya Close-up Filters +1, +2, +5; 77-55mm Step Down Ring. For photographing insects, etc: Tamron SP180mm F3.5 AF Di Macro 1:1 or Sigma 105mm F2.8 DG OS Macro HSMFeedback
For any wildlife photography the best advice is be patient, be alert and react as quickly as possible. Always try to have the camera set up for the shot that you expect to get, as this means that you can usually minimise the reaction time between seeing and shooting.
