Nature Photographers Network
This is the preserved archive of the original Nature Photographers Network. The community continues at naturephotographers.network.
Altamira Courting
‹ PreviousAvian GalleryNext ›

Altamira Courting

by Bob McQuade

Gallery: AvianPosted March 15, 2010138 views16 comments
D300 200-400mm w/ 1.7 TC F* 1/500 ISO400

Taken last week in Salieno, TX. Really liked the "dancing" poses this Altamira Oriole was showing. Wish he had done it without all the BG branches present, but what can you do.

Comments

16 comments
Comment posted by Dan Moore on March 15, 2010 at 9:06 PM
I will suffer with the branches.You are tough on yourself. Very enjoyable Color, pose and comp!

Dan
Registered on February 11, 2010, 143 Posts, 1248 Comments
Comment posted by Gary Gulash on March 15, 2010 at 9:12 PM
What a stunningly orange bird. (I had to look this species up, not in my Sibley of Western N. America) Only the one branch directly in front of the Oriole is a bother to me. Neat pose!
Registered on January 28, 2005, 879 Posts, 12098 Comments
Comment posted by Richard Ditch on March 15, 2010 at 9:51 PM
No issue with the branches in such an unusual shot of a species that barely makes it into the U.S.
Registered on November 1, 2003, 1031 Posts, 12705 Comments
Comment posted by Terry Sohl on March 15, 2010 at 10:28 PM
Terrific pose...really love the head, and the lighting on it. Branches...no big deal at all. :toast:
Registered on November 1, 2003, 513 Posts, 6889 Comments
Comment posted by Max Waugh on March 15, 2010 at 11:28 PM
Hey, at least his face is in the spotlight (I'm sure that's what every singer wants). Love the colors.

Max
Registered on September 26, 2008, 428 Posts, 2329 Comments
Comment posted by Angela McCain on March 15, 2010 at 11:36 PM
Love this pose. Very sharp at the eye and the beak-best appreciated on the larger version. Thanks for sharing.
Registered on April 19, 2009, 367 Posts, 3589 Comments
Comment posted by Brian Gatlin on March 15, 2010 at 11:53 PM
sure looks good to me. great pose, color, detail. those branches don't bother me a bit--none of them is in a bad place. :toast:
Registered on March 21, 2009, 202 Posts, 4187 Comments
Comment posted by Rebecka on March 16, 2010 at 7:01 AM
How beautiful. Branches lend a sense of place to me, not at all a bother. Gorgeous color on bird, nice capture at what looks like the height of his song, great catchlight. :toast:
Registered on February 5, 2009, 170 Posts, 924 Comments
Comment posted by Mervyn Dublin on March 16, 2010 at 8:09 AM
Love the color but the branches at the far back is a bit distracting.
Registered on September 23, 2009, 42 Posts, 110 Comments
Comment posted by Jim Hackley on March 16, 2010 at 11:57 AM
Wonderful job getting this shot and processing the orange color, well done.
Registered on September 17, 2009, 302 Posts, 5535 Comments
Comment posted by Keith Bauer on March 16, 2010 at 1:26 PM
Beautiful pose. Great work on the exposure to hold details in the shadows. BG branches are a bit distracting. Photoshop could be used to fix that if you wanted to.
Registered on November 20, 2003, 458 Posts, 4836 Comments
Comment posted by Robert Bunch on March 16, 2010 at 2:50 PM
Everytime I see one of your pictures here I think "Lone Wolf "has struck again. (In case you don't know what I'm talking about Chuck Norris made a movie where he played a character named Lone Wolf McQuade). A very colorful and nice looking bird. I have never seen one of these guys before. The pose is great and I love the bright orange color on this bird. Personally I have no problem with the BG. It is OOF enough that it doesn't distract and with a few twigs and branches it looks very natural. I like a nice smooth BG sometimes but no more so than one like this. Very good job.
Registered on May 18, 2004, 124 Posts, 2503 Comments
Comment posted by Dennis Plank on March 16, 2010 at 10:43 PM
Gorgeous shot, Bob. I really like the light in this image, and the pose is superb. :toast:
Registered on January 28, 2008, 1767 Posts, 23192 Comments
Comment posted by David Sparks on March 17, 2010 at 2:57 PM
Beautiful bird, fantastic pose. Congrats on an excellent capture of the behavior and colors. :toast:
Registered on May 26, 2007, 290 Posts, 4270 Comments
Comment posted by Danny Shelton on March 17, 2010 at 8:31 PM
Interesting pose on a beautiful bird I hope to see one day. I like the sharpness of the bill. Nicely done.
Registered on October 2, 2007, 14 Posts, 1029 Comments
Comment posted by Mia McPherson on March 18, 2010 at 7:26 AM
Bob,

The branches in this image aren't an issue for me at all, they give the image a sense of place. Great pose and I like how you handled the bright colors, they appear natural. Your choice of f* (f8 I presume) worked in your favor.

Awesome looking oriole
Registered on June 25, 2007, 491 Posts, 12566 Comments