I don’t get many photos of Horned Larks I like but I do like this one.
I’ve always enjoyed Horned Larks, partly because they remind me of the Montana farm where I grew up. But their tendency to forage on nearly bare earth means their settings are often unattractive. I photograph them most often on Antelope Island where the predominant rocks they perch on are nearly white and aesthetically unappealing. And they seldom perch on plants or provide interesting poses so it’s rare indeed for me to get a Horned Lark photo that tickles my fancy.
1/5000, f/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
But this one, taken two days ago on the island, is an exception. Somehow the male Horned Lark found a rock with some color in it to perch on and as a bonus I like its angularity and cliff-like appearance. My shutter clicked just as he gave me a saucy pose with his horns semi-erected, one foot raised off the rock and many of his feathers fluffed up during a partial rouse.
I don’t see many bird photos where the colors of the palette come this close to monotone. To my eye the colors of the background, the rock and much of the bird are unusually similar, to the point that the photo may not have much appeal for some viewers. And I’ll admit that I wish his face were just a little brighter to make it stand out better.
But for my tastes the near-monotone color palette is unusual enough to be interesting and since I don’t post photos of Horned Larks very often (for reasons I mentioned) I decided to make this guy famous.
Or infamous, as the case may be.
Ron
PS – There’s another reason I decided to post this image. Many bird photographers tend to ignore Horned Larks for their own reasons but I suspect one of them is because they’re so common in much of their range. I don’t see “common” as a negative and I like to see Horned Larks get the attention they deserve.
Such a perfect pose! Great capture!
Ron,
I think the palette is great. Works for me. And I love the right foot posture. Only you would notice that. Thanks for pointing it out.
Stephen
I’ll bet you would have noticed it too if I hadn’t mentioned it, Stephen. Thank you.
They are hard to get pics of. Fast, and shy birds. I’m wondering if maybe the bird is immature. Even the yellow is real bright. Nice picture though.
They’re definitely fast, Jean. I’ve been trying for years to get a decent takeoff photo of one but about all I get is “air”.
I find this shot to be very exciting! Love seeing the horns up and that foot raised, getting ready to go! I don’t call this monotone either — blacks, reds, browns, creams, yellows — lots of colors!
Thank you, Marty. Yes, there are several colors, but roughly 90% of the space in the image consists of tones of the same color, which is why I said “near-monotone color palette” in my text. Works for me, but apparently not for everyone.
Ron, I have never seen a Horned Lark, or maybe I just didn’t know what I was looking at! I like your monotone photo, with some black accents. I think you took this photo at a perfect time with the horns, standing on one leg and a partial rouse. The rock highlights the bird and the pose. Thank you, Ron
“I have never seen a Horned Lark, or maybe I just didn’t know what I was looking at”
Alice, I think there’s a very good chance it’s the latter. They’re so common that folks often see them but they don’t recognize them for a variety of reasons. Thank you.
Fantastic photo!! Love it, in all it’s subtly-shaded glory! I would love to see a horned lark. I have never caught a glimpse though there were flocks of them this winter in various spots around where I live in Eastern Massachusetts – I missed them. What gorgeous little birds.
Better luck with them next time, Joanne. Yes, if you can get close enough to them you notice their subtle beauty.
Great pose. I like the colors, it goes to show how much they can blend into their environment.
And they blend very, very well, April. These little birds can be hard to see.
Marvelous shot Ron!
Charlotte
Thanks, Charlotte.
Love the photo and don’t see it as so much monotone. Color in the rock and especially in the Lark’s face and feathers. Perfect setting. Love it.
A good framer would make that photo one folks would buy.
Everett Sanborn, Prescott AZ
“don’t see it as so much monotone”
Thanks, Everett. See my response to Kathy below about why I went with “monotone”.
This is beautiful! 😍 All of the varied colors work together here perfectly. I know monotone is the word to describe the look but when you actually study it, it is a perfect blending of many colors. I agree this bird is usually on the ground with dried grass stems and tiny pebbles creating a boring photo or on the snow with no interesting facets but you hit the jackpot here. And he gave you a great pose and look…definitely a great keeper. One of my favorites!
Kathy, I’m always hesitant to use the word “monotone” for fear someone will jump be about it (you didn’t) because there’s more colors in the photo than just one. In this case there are also some blacks, whites and yellows. But it looks to me like about 90% of the image consists of tones of the same color so I just went with it.
Yes, they’re very difficult to get pleasing images of. I’m glad you like this one like I do. Thanks.
Beautiful bird and surroundings! 🙂 The monotone works VERY well for this!
Thank you, Judy.
There’s a pronounced “classiness” to monochrome color schemes IF they also sport strong value contrasts, such as the black and white markings on this very saucy ( love your characterization of his
posture ! ) bird……..I really like this image!
“There’s a pronounced “classiness” to monochrome color schemes IF they also sport strong value contrasts”
Thanks for making that point so well, Kris. I don’t have enough of an artistic background to put that effectively into words but I agree with what you said.
I’ve never seen one in real life. My tastes run to this color palette as well. I really like this saucy pose.
Thanks, Arwen. Some folks see them regularly but because from a distance they look like just another “little brown job” they don’t know what they’re seeing. In habitats where they’re found at all they’re typically very common.