One More Roadrunner

Gallery: AvianPosted February 1, 201581 views10 comments

Again, I hope everyone is not getting tired of my Roadrunner images, but I wanted to point out something I discovered. In this image, the Roadrunner's tail is very colorful. That color did not reveal itself in most of my images. It was only when the Roadrunner's angle to the sun was just right. I forgot to mention that this image, and all the other roadrunner images I've posted, were shot around 11:15 in the morning. The sun was fairly high so the light was a bit harsh. I have always known that some bird's colors are very dependent on the angle of illumination. I guess that I just never considered the Roadrunner was one of those birds. Comments and critiques welcome.

I cloned out a small distracting clump of vegetation close to the tail. No other manipulation of the background was performed. Processed using Lightroom 5 and Photoshop CC 2014.

Canon 7D Mark II
Canon 200-400 f4 L IS
1/800s
F8.0
ISO 250
Focal Length 560mm (Teleconverter Engaged)

Comments

10 comments

Comment posted by Luke Ormand on February 1, 2015 at 10:47 AM

You fit the bird well in the frame and the like colors are really nice, also like the pop of iridescence on the bird. Some more DOF would have helped to remove the band of OFF area in the foreground

Registered on February 4, 2009, 1093 Posts, 7035 Comments

Comment posted by Matt Williams on February 1, 2015 at 11:00 AM

The iridescence on the tail is really unique-- I have never noticed that on a bird in the wild before. As you point out, the light does feel a little harsh to me and I might have preferred a little more eye contact with the bird although the alert, eyes forward hunting look is interesting too.

Registered on January 21, 2015, 5 Posts, 10 Comments

Comment posted by Hans Overduin on February 1, 2015 at 12:29 PM

And one more great shot ..... Love it as much as the previous ! Cheers, Hans

Registered on August 31, 2011, 491 Posts, 3807 Comments

Comment posted by John Robinson on February 1, 2015 at 12:37 PM

The green is a bonus Jerry ,but I still prefer the second shot.
Cheers
John

Registered on March 2, 2008, 535 Posts, 2453 Comments

Comment posted by Ashleigh Scully on February 1, 2015 at 12:48 PM

Hi really pretty light and colors on the tail. I like the composition but if it was looking at you it would be even better. Great shot

Registered on November 4, 2013, 36 Posts, 210 Comments

Comment posted by David Bogener on February 1, 2015 at 2:21 PM

Cool image. I have rarely seen and never captured the wonderful iridescence on the tail. As mentioned, the light is a little harsh.

Registered on October 30, 2013, 417 Posts, 1255 Comments

Comment posted by Steve Thompson on February 1, 2015 at 2:24 PM

This is nice Jerry but I also prefer the second one. I think the pose by the Roadrunner was more appealing. Still...well done, the tail looks great.

Registered on August 7, 2014, 125 Posts, 2319 Comments

Comment posted by Jim DeWitt on February 2, 2015 at 1:48 AM

Very nice, Jerry; I'm enjoying the whole series. But I think the last one, with the tail up, was stronger, and conveyed an impression of a more alert bird.

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

Comment posted by Brian Gatlin on February 2, 2015 at 7:40 AM

nice--I like the intent look and slightly open bill on this one. these guys can show some really nice color when the angle and light are right.

Registered on March 21, 2009, 202 Posts, 4187 Comments

Comment posted by Jefferson Silva on February 2, 2015 at 5:39 PM

Nice shot, Jerry.
Interesting colors on the bird's tail.

Registered on December 18, 2012, 162 Posts, 975 Comments