During the past two summers, this Northern Flicker has been visiting my patio and digging between the pavers with his beak searching for ants. By the time I could chase the bird away, he was already gone. This past July, I happened to look outside my basement window and saw this guy doing his thing. My first thought was to run upstairs and chase this pesk from my yard to prevent further damage, but since my camera was at the ready, I chose to take a few quick pics through the basement window instead.
Post processing; Lightroom Classic for very minor adjustments to the white and black sliders. Topaz; very minor adjustments in DeNoise & Sharpen. Photoshop; 5x7 crop, remove tool for minor distractions. Lawn furniture in the background resulted in a broad faint grey streak from the birds head to the left side of the image, which I could not remove without worsening the image. Remembering the positive comments from group members from my previous photo submittal, I positioned the bird in my crop to be sure he had someplace to go!
Handheld full frame camera body, 100-400mm lens, focal length set at 400mm, F/5.6, ISO 640, 1/160 sec. Bird is in shade, distance between the bird to camera sensor about 15 ft, and distance between the bird and background about 30 feet.
This round’s discussion is now closed! 13 comments posted
Roy Lockwood
Great image. I like cropping to give a closeup of a birds details. The grass in the foreground is also nice. I also like a clear eye with a reflection. Looks like a house? Cropped and Topazed your image. Posted: 09/02/2023 15:56:20
Jim Overfield
(Groups 9 & 21)
Thanks Roy, yes, I was in the house taking this shot. I was lucky getting this shot before taking off. Posted: 09/02/2023 16:32:53
Kathleen Sewell
Your flicker tucked in the soft green background AND the soft grass in the foreground looks dreamy. I would think it might be difficult to have the grass so soft as it looks like he/she is almost touching it? Good use of your settings! The speck of red asserts itself perfectly in the sea of green. Posted: 09/03/2023 18:36:00
Jim Overfield
(Groups 9 & 21)
Thanks Kathleen, the bird was on the pavers and actually several feet away from the edge of the lawn. The low position of the camera, focal length used, and distance between the bird and focal plane creates the illusion that the bird is in the grass. Posted: 09/05/2023 17:40:05
Hans-Werner Griepentrog
Hi Jim, a nice photo of the Northern Flicker. Your story of how the photo came to be is very interesting. The low camera angle gives the photo something special. The quiet background enhances the image effect. Posted: 09/04/2023 03:22:57
Jim Overfield
(Groups 9 & 21)
Thanks Hans Posted: 09/04/2023 04:54:46
Kathie Thomas
A lovely close up. Love the highlights in the eye and the splash of red at the back of the head. Great position too.
I like what you've done with the image. Posted: 09/04/2023 04:40:40
Jim Overfield
(Groups 9 & 21)
Thank you Kathie Posted: 09/04/2023 04:55:37
Tom Buckard
(Groups 21 & 48 & 71)
Jim, you certainly caught this Flicker at the peak of alertness. I think the grass and background is outstanding being out of focus because it draws you to the bird and nothing else. Exposure is perfect. I like irregular catch lights. Photographers that put a dot in the eye just looks too fake. Super image Jim! Posted: 09/04/2023 18:57:42
Jim Overfield
(Groups 9 & 21)
Thanks Tom Posted: 09/04/2023 19:18:02
Sylvia Williams
(Groups 9 & 20)
I love this shot! I can think of no way to improve on it.
First thing I thought of when looking at it was I love the low angle - so love that you have a basement window. I think I'd hang out there on the regular. Posted: 09/05/2023 07:07:08
Jim Overfield
(Groups 9 & 21)
Thanks Sylvia, now that you mention it, the basement window does make a perfect blind! Posted: 09/05/2023 07:44:00
Julia Parrish
This is a great shot - really clear and the bokeh background and grasses in front just add to the beauty. If I hadn't read your story, I would think you were down on the ground with the bird. Such a great perspective and a beautiful shot. Posted: 09/24/2023 16:23:40
