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Bohemian Waxwing
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Bohemian Waxwing

by Jenaya Launstein

Gallery: AvianPosted April 11, 2011312 views21 comments
I took this picture this weekend at the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary (the birds can come and go whenever they want) in Calgary, Alberta. The Waxwings were up higher in a tree until this guy flew down and perched right in front of me.

I was really happy to have one at eye level with nice light thanks to a slightly overcast day. I was also excited because this was the first bohemian waxwing I have photographed, and I've wanted to find these guys for a while!

This is about 85% of ff with a few distracting branches cloned out. Note that the interesting pattern of vertical lines on the right are OOF background branches, not sloppy cloning! :wink:

Thanks for looking and commenting!

Nikon D300
Nikkor 300mm f/4 AF-S with 1.4TC
ISO 200
1/400sec @ f/5.6
-0.3 EV to preserve feather detail
monopod

Comments

21 comments
Comment posted by Dennis Plank on April 12, 2011 at 12:12 AM
Beautiful, Jenaya. I really like the soft light and the perch and bg fit the subject very well. If you have the canvas, I might be inclined to give it a little more room on the left and a touch less on the right, but not much. Superb detail in the plumage.
:toast:
Registered on January 28, 2008, 1767 Posts, 23192 Comments
Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on April 12, 2011 at 12:20 AM
THis is just terrific! Excellent detail, pose, nice perch , bright eye and very complimentary BG.
The only suggestion I have is to move the bird just a bit to the right. There is no need for all the dead space at the right.
:toast:
Sandy
Registered on November 24, 2003, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments
Comment posted by Robert Holguin on April 12, 2011 at 3:40 AM
Excellent pic. Love the perch and background. Great feather detail and the eye contact and pose are superb. I really the crop as is. Well done.
Registered on January 25, 2011, 44 Posts, 294 Comments
Comment posted by Patricia Brundage on April 12, 2011 at 7:12 AM
Congratulations on getting a great image! Have never seen one so close and on a lone branch with a clean background. Well done. :toast:
Registered on March 23, 2006, 1111 Posts, 6531 Comments
Comment posted by Ron Dudley on April 12, 2011 at 7:52 AM
Very nicely done Jenaya. Unusually good detail for this species, I like the simplicity of the image, the background and the alert pose. If this were mine I'd place the bird just a bit to the right in the frame if I could.
Registered on March 30, 2007, 437 Posts, 10915 Comments
Comment posted by Ashley Vincent on April 12, 2011 at 7:59 AM
What an absolute stunner of an image Jenaya! The subtle colours of the Waxwing are perfectly complimented by the background and yes, I think the vertical lines in the right of the frame add well to the overall interest, and the detail in the feathers is exquisite :^)

Although I also really like framing a shot like this with plenty of space for the subject to look into, I do agree that a sliver or two reintroduced on the LH edge would make this even more pleasing to look at.

One other thing I'd be tempted to do if this were mine, would be to add a little more sharpening to the eye and then giving it a few clicks with the Dodge Tool to brighten it up further. All things considered though, this is yet another of yours I'd love to call mine ;^)
Registered on March 1, 2011, 154 Posts, 2083 Comments
Comment posted by Brian Gatlin on April 12, 2011 at 9:43 AM
lovely image, Jenaya. really like how the bg complements the bird. excellent pose and detail, and a nice perch too. I agree with the comp suggestions to move the bird just slightly to the right in the frame.
Registered on March 21, 2009, 202 Posts, 4187 Comments
Comment posted by Richard Teller on April 12, 2011 at 10:47 AM
Very nice color, perch and background. I also agree with the comp. suggestions.
Registered on August 23, 2010, 1162 Posts, 6692 Comments
Comment posted by Fabio Giarrizzo on April 12, 2011 at 11:22 AM
My best congrats, Jenaya- Your first bohemian waxwing is now one of the more pleasant images of that species I've seen on web (and there are plenty of them)- Pose, light and BG are awesome, and for my tastes your composition choice is perfect- Bravissima, Fabio
Registered on December 3, 2010, 90 Posts, 1614 Comments
Comment posted by S Govindarajan on April 12, 2011 at 12:35 PM
Very nice, Jenaya. Wonderful pose, simple perch and a very complimentary background. Great eye contact and catchlight too. I too would like some more room on the left. Also a little more DOF would have helped get the tail also in focus (its a tad oof in the larger version). :toast:
Registered on April 19, 2008, 115 Posts, 1921 Comments
Comment posted by Jim DeWitt on April 12, 2011 at 2:34 PM
Excellent. Lovely detail in a bird whose feathers resist getting good detail. The complementary colors in the background help, too. Congratulations on getting not just a photo of the species but quite a good photo.
Registered on August 28, 2006, 1240 Posts, 8506 Comments
Comment posted by Jenaya Launstein on April 12, 2011 at 2:48 PM
Thank you for all the nice comments! I ended up with several pictures of Bohemians from Saturday, but this was my favourite mostly because of the lighting, background and his alert pose.

I would have liked a little more room on the left as well, but there was a sapling in front of me that prevented me from composing the shot differently. I know I could add canvas and clone the background in pretty easily, but didn't really want to extend the small branch he is perched on. I do kind of like the drama of having him so far left, and his head ends up being right at the one-third line which seems nice to me.

Ashley, interestingly just before posting I did one more swipe of selective sharpening to the birds eye and face and dodged the shadows a little extra to bring out just a touch more detail, so I guess we were thinking the same thing, except I couldn't get it better than as posted. :)

Thank you all once again!
Registered on February 8, 2011, 254 Posts, 1302 Comments
Comment posted by John Launstein on April 12, 2011 at 3:03 PM
Hi Jaye! Wow...you already know this, but I had to drop by this thread and tell you what an awesome shot you pulled off here! I was watching this unfold and hearing your shutter click away for the few seconds he perched here, hoping you had somehow found an angle through the branches to capture him, and you sure did!

Killer light, great angle, and even though you don't see those characteristic wing markings, a great representation of the species I think. But THE thing that puts this one over the top for me is the way the birds colours are reflected in the background, or is it vice-versa? Beautiful overall palette, and the sharpness and texture of the feathers make the bird just pop from that creamy soft background.

Great job on the pp as well!
Registered on April 5, 2011, 223 Posts, 1193 Comments
Comment posted by Ron Huff on April 12, 2011 at 3:12 PM
A really nice photograph, Jenaya. Nice pose, BG and DOF.

Ron Huff
Registered on August 31, 2010, 69 Posts, 440 Comments
Comment posted by Richard Ditch on April 12, 2011 at 3:17 PM
A lovely image as posted. Very nice detail in the waxwing plumage.
Registered on November 1, 2003, 1031 Posts, 12705 Comments
Comment posted by Mia McPherson on April 12, 2011 at 4:03 PM
A simple but elegant portrait of this waxwing Jenaya. Lovely light, colors, details and pose.
Registered on June 25, 2007, 491 Posts, 12566 Comments
Comment posted by Guy Runco on April 12, 2011 at 5:53 PM
Great shot of one of my favorite birds Jenaya, thanks for sharing.
Registered on September 9, 2008, 77 Posts, 705 Comments
Comment posted by Cheryl Molennor on April 12, 2011 at 10:14 PM
I just love it. The light and colors are awesome . The larger version shows the great detail as well. :toast:
Registered on June 30, 2009, 300 Posts, 5051 Comments
Comment posted by Ken Archer on April 13, 2011 at 3:55 AM
A simple and beautiful photo of a great bird. Excellent details in the bird, but the background really sets this one apart for me. Sweet Photo Jenaya :cool:

Ken Archer
Registered on October 28, 2004, 222 Posts, 6683 Comments
Comment posted by Ant on April 13, 2011 at 4:58 PM
Beautiful grey-on-grey picture, with a great background!
Registered on April 13, 2009, 27 Posts, 474 Comments
Comment posted by Keith A Anderson on April 14, 2011 at 4:03 PM
Very, very nice, Janaya. These are beautiful birds but with such a complementary perch and bg and such an alert pose by the bird this is truly stellar image. And for it to be the first you've photographed makes it that much more special. Congrats



1
Registered on February 13, 2006, 166 Posts, 1818 Comments