Green Jay adult and juvenile
Green jays are colorful, raucous and entertaining. We have had a flock for a number of years on our property. They are not always easy to photograph because i...
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Green jays are colorful, raucous and entertaining. We have had a flock for a number of years on our property. They are not always easy to photograph because it seems they always post a sentry in a high tree to alert the others of potential dangers. They make a variety of harsh calls, including one that sounds very similar to a red-shouldered hawk and something that is between a gargle and a rattle. But occasionally they grace me with some wonderful moments to capture with my camera. During June this year the fledglings were particularly demanding and they found my yard with an abundance of feeders an easy solution to gathering food. The young ones will remain with the parents and help in caring for the next brood before they move on to raising their own. This sequence caught an interaction between an adult bird and a junior who was begging for food and appeared to have a temper tantrum before finally getting his or her way.
Montell, Uvalde County, Texas in June 2020
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Montell, Uvalde County, Texas in June 2020
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Oct, 2020Views
124
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Awards
Winter Award 2020
Absolute Masterpiece
Peer Award
Magnificent Capture
Outstanding Creativity
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken in my yard. I love nature, particularly birds, so I have arranged a section of my yard to attract a variety of birds. I love to wait and see what might show up and snap photos of scenes such as this.Time
This image was made at approximately 10 AM. I know a lot of photographers only want to shoot in certain light or at certain times of the day, such as early morning. I shoot when I can make the time and when something captures my attention.Lighting
Natural lighting. Nearly all my images are made with natural lighting.Equipment
Nikon D7500, TAMRON SP AF 150-600mm F5-6.3 VC USD A011N lens. Handheld.Inspiration
I have some friends who have made extraordinary images of birds and I'm always striving to capture equally good or even better images. I was intrigued by the interaction of these two birds as the juvenile was begging to be fed and the adult seemed to be trying to encourage it to feed itself. Documenting the moment was my goal, but also doing so with an image that others would find intriguing.Editing
I used Photoshop Elements (2018 version) to crop the image in order to enhance the composition. I adjusted the brightness and color levels and sharpened just a bit.In my camera bag
I usually plan to shoot wildlife shots so my Nikon D7500 is connected to my Tamron 150-600mm lens. I also keep a Nikon D7100 with different lens (depending on what I hope to see) for either macro shots or wide angle shots. I always have a microfiber cloth for cleaning the lens and a spare battery, just in case.Feedback
Study the subjects and learn their habits. I have found that many animals are creatures of habit, so if you notice one in a particular place, you have a chance of seeing it there again and possibly around the same time each day. Find a place to set up with your camera that gives you the best lighting and background for that spot and wait for your subject to arrive and do something interesting. This is much easier than trying to get people to pose and smile for the camera.
