Ptarmigan

Gallery: AvianPosted December 9, 2009130 views12 comments

Like the Bison picture I posted earlier, this one show another reason why living in the Northwest Territories is so good for a photographer. This Ptarmigan was taken in my backyard.

Sony a700
Minolta 70 - 210 mm f4

Taken at;
f4
ISO 400
1/320 sec
Handheld
no exposure compensation
210 mm (315 mm on 35)

Comments

12 comments

Comment posted by Nick Saunders on December 9, 2009 at 11:03 AM

The whites are nicely exposed. I wish the photo was lighter and the bird ( my Nemesis bird btw ) has more room around him in the frame.
Was this shot taken at night Lee or in very low light ?

Registered on February 6, 2008, 321 Posts, 3035 Comments

Comment posted by Lee Sacrey on December 9, 2009 at 12:07 PM

Hey Nick, The photo was taken at around 6:30 pm and here in Yellowknife the sun dips below the horizon at around 3:30 pm (or it did on the day I took this now it sets at around 3:10 pm). So it was dark, I did use some fill flash which I forget to mention earlier. As for more of the framing around the bird, I could do that as this is cropped to get this close. Maybe I will post another from the shoot that is framed differently. Thanks for the comment.

Registered on September 5, 2009, 8 Posts, 12 Comments

Comment posted by Nick Saunders on December 9, 2009 at 12:19 PM

Great to see someone posting from the Northwest Territories Lee. You are a hardy bunch living up there.
I look forward to a repost of this shot

Registered on February 6, 2008, 321 Posts, 3035 Comments

Comment posted by David Williams on December 9, 2009 at 4:26 PM

In the dark or not.......it looks just fine on my monitor. Might be a bit tight in the frame, but otherwise a beauty.

Registered on March 8, 2005, 315 Posts, 2291 Comments

Comment posted by Ron McCombe on December 9, 2009 at 5:27 PM

Hey Lee

Stunning picture superbly exposed, very difficult to get the whites right in this sort of picture, cropped a bit tight for me but I wish I could get a shot like this.

Ron

Registered on November 16, 2009, 190 Posts, 207 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Dudley on December 9, 2009 at 6:49 PM

Neat shot Lee - I love the scaling effect of the plumage on the back and wing of the ptarmigan. I agree that the bird needs more room though, to the left and esp on top.

Registered on March 30, 2007, 437 Posts, 10915 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on December 9, 2009 at 10:24 PM

Excellent image, Lee. I'm glad you resisted trying to make the whites pure. The blue tints really convey the feel of the cold. I also like the reflections from the fill flash in this case. As others have mentioned, a bit more room

Registered on January 28, 2008, 1767 Posts, 23192 Comments

Comment posted by Jim DeWitt on December 10, 2009 at 2:16 AM

Always good to see a northerly latitude represented. Nice work in the nemesis low light we put up with. If it were mine, I'd be tempted to pull the blue down just a bit.

I don't see any brown in the tail in this shot. Do you have White-tiled Ptarmigan in Yellowknife os is this a Willow Ptarmigan being coy about the tail?

Registered on August 28, 2006, 1240 Posts, 8506 Comments

Comment posted by Carrie O'Brien-Sib on December 10, 2009 at 7:24 AM

Reminds me of Frosty the Snowman! I love it!

Registered on August 4, 2009, 149 Posts, 889 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Bielefeld on December 10, 2009 at 2:43 PM

Lee, I love the plumage patterns you captured and the glistening snow. More room on top and the left would make this much more powerful IMO.

Registered on December 6, 2008, 360 Posts, 7132 Comments

Comment posted by Nate Chappell on December 10, 2009 at 4:42 PM

Welcome Lee, a very different image seeing a ptarmigan in the dark like this. I like it but would like to see a little more room around the bird.

Registered on February 1, 2006, 1158 Posts, 19528 Comments

Comment posted by Mia McPherson on December 10, 2009 at 6:48 PM

Lee,

Love seeing this species posted. They are incredibly beautiful birds. I agree with others who have mentioned a looser crop.

Registered on June 25, 2007, 491 Posts, 12566 Comments