The Softer Side of White
I've renamed this image several times, each having learned more about the genetics of albinism and leucism. Both involve the way the body uses color & ...
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I've renamed this image several times, each having learned more about the genetics of albinism and leucism. Both involve the way the body uses color & melanin, or lack thereof.
This is, in fact, a Leucistic peacock. Final answer and name change!!
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This is, in fact, a Leucistic peacock. Final answer and name change!!
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Apr, 2018Views
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
I shot this photo at a local animal sanctuary and petting zoo. This lady started at her small farm and her love for animals was endless and deep. She kept purchasing more land that abutted her property and slowly built what was needed for the animals to live out their lives in peace. The farm has been improved, volunteers are plenty, and it is a joy to visit this sanctuary...for both humans and animals!Time
This is one of my all-time favorite images, too! It was about noon, or shortly before, with bright sun and few passing clouds. The wrong time of day to shoot outdoors, but this peacock was under an overhang.Lighting
At noon with the sun brightly shining, this beautiful bird could have been completely blown out, but because he was in a sheltered area with an open wooden overhang--sort of like a pergola--I felt the need to try to get a shot. Easier said than done...Equipment
Canon Powershot SX 10 is, one of the first major "bridge" cameras on the retail market, Not a DSLR, no interchangeable lenses. One Super Zoom with many built-in adjustments to make it feel like your using different lenses. But, it's not the same. I didn't have a tripod with me, so all shots back then were handheld. The problem I encountered was getting the lens either over, under or around the chicken wire fence to alleviate the obvious distraction. None of those options worked for me so I tried to maneuver the lens through the chicken wire without damaging the camera or my fingers!! I gently spread the wires of one hole a bit, gently shoved the lens through it and aimed at the peacock--still in full plumage, luckily. I had it on burst shot to maximize the couple of shots I got. Prayed, clicked and breathed a sigh of relief looking at it in review!Inspiration
Beauty is always what inspires me. In a world filled with so much anger and intolerance, I feel compelled to shoot some of the most ordinary things in a way that enhances their beauty and share it with that same world. My hope is to bring smiles to faces that are stressed, worried, sick, depressed may feel hopeless. In other words, every normal person out there! But, this isn't the photo I intended to get; it's the one my camera was stuck aimed at--and how fortunate I am for that!Editing
Definitely cropped it quite a bit, I did adjust the lighting a bit by toning down the highlights. I also added a slight soft filter to it. I was not into changing my images very much in post-processing at that time. Adding the soft filter was a huge break in my routine, but it made a huge difference in how people related to it.In my camera bag
Now I have a Canon Eos Rp with the kit lens 24-240m and a Canon 50--Nifty Fifty! A Manfrotto tripod with one of the easiest and fastest releases I've used. Loving it! All this equipment has been purchased within the last 15 months as I squirrel away a few pennies from photo sales and contests here and there!Feedback
In the same situation, please go speak with the farm owner and ask if there's a safe way to enter the animal's enclosure to snap a few quick photos!! It will save you a lot of grief, keep your camera from being scratched, and keep everyone especially the animal safe (and the fence, too). Most of all...shoot what you love, not what you think someone else will and have FUN doing it!! Thanks so much for allowing me this chance to explain a popular image. I am so glad my image has made all of you, my peers, smile.
