I was taking a break from taking photos of flowers in my wife’s backyard garden when I heard a cardinal singing nearby. He was perched high in a neighbor’s pine tree when I took this photo about 40 feet from the chair I was sitting in. This male and his mate are frequently visitors to our backyard for over the past 5 years. They can live up to 15 years, so we are pleased whenever we see them visiting our feeders.
Handheld full frame camera body, 400mm, 1/400 sec, f/5.6, ISO 100, aperture priority.
1x1 crop, adjustments to highlights, shadows, whites, and blacks. Topaz denoise & sharpen. Applied a mask on the bird to boost color a little and applied another mask on the eye itself to sharpen, darken and increase contrast. Also added a slightly darkened Vignette.
This round’s discussion is now closed! 12 comments posted
Leslie Larson
Gorgeous bird. The green and red combo is appealing. Your focus and cropping good. Nothing to complain about here. Cardinals are just beginning to expand their range into Colorado. I've yet to see one here, but some have.
Welcome to the group. Posted: 01/06/2025 17:34:59
Jim Overfield
Thank you Leslie. Posted: 01/09/2025 09:09:42
Tom Buckard
Jim, I am sitting here in our sunroom watching several cardinals and blue birds out the back window. A pleasure of life. Your image is excellent! It has super visual impact and interest. Your crop and enhancements are perfect. I particularly like the way you captured it in a natural setting and with his beak open is also a plus. Welcome to the group Jim. Posted: 01/07/2025 16:22:40
Jim Overfield
Thanks Tom, happy to participate in this group. Posted: 01/09/2025 09:12:47
Michael Braunstein
Great colors really make this photo and the feathers have goood detail. Posted: 01/13/2025 00:33:57
Jim Overfield
Thank you Michael. Posted: 01/14/2025 04:03:55
Ron Spencer
One can almost hear his song! Perfect dof. I had no idea they lived so long.
Thanks for the cheery photo!
Posted: 01/14/2025 01:47:40
Jim Overfield
Thank you Ron. Yes, its amazing to me to learn the life span of many of these birds given the daily obstacles they face. Posted: 01/14/2025 04:07:54
Don Poulton
Welcome to the group, Jim. Great color harmony, really sharp image. I cannot suggest any improvements. Posted: 01/14/2025 15:45:36
Jim Overfield
Thank you Don. Posted: 01/15/2025 03:20:07
Mike Cowdrey
You are lucky to see such a beautiful bird, superbly caught in song. Lovely detail, well done! Posted: 01/29/2025 07:59:40
Jim Overfield
Thank you Mike. Very lucky indeed! Posted: 01/29/2025 22:30:39
