Sometimes things go right even when you screw up. I just wish it happened more often.
1/250, f/10, ISO 250, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
I found this meadowlark singing on sage three days ago on Antelope Island. In my mind it’s hard to go wrong with a singing meadowlark and in this shot I like the early sprig of greenery on the sage, the mix of sand and water on the shore of the Great Salt Lake in the background and of course the singing pose. But man, did I ever screw up my camera settings.
Just a few minutes before I’d been photographing a pronghorn in much different light so I’d set my ISO at 250 and then forgot to change it back for this meadowlark. That alone would have reduced my shutter speed significantly. But to compound the problem I’d somehow accidentally twirled the wheel controlling my aperture setting to f/10 and that reduced my shutter speed even more. A shutter speed of 1/250 for a singing bird is a recipe for disaster, almost guaranteed to produce a soft bird – especially the moving bill and head.
But somehow this image slipped through unscathed. The entire bird is more than acceptably sharp, including the head and bill. I must have caught the bird during a frozen microsecond when none of the bird was moving and it just turned out that it was a pose I like.
I’ve mentioned my friend Murphy from Murphy’s law before. Ol’ Murph is an almost constant companion of mine and this time I didn’t escape him either, as evidenced by my ridiculous ISO and aperture settings. But occasionally Ol’ Murph has his own Murphy sitting on his shoulder and this time his evil intentions for this image were foiled (although you can imagine what my takeoff shot for this bird looks like…).
But my personal Murphy came back while I was preparing this post. I’m having server problems this morning so I don’t even know if I’ll be able to publish this edition of Feathered Photography and if I can viewers may have difficulties loading it. We’re working on it but…
what will be will be.
Ron
There’s nothing lijd a Meadowlark sitting on sage, signinghis heart out, to cheer me up…love this image…(especially the rich yellows…sunshine birdsonified!)
I’m glad it buoyed you up a little, Patty. Thanks.
It is well before dawn here and I am loving viewing this splash of singing sunshine. And grateful that Murphy was busy elsewhere.
Thank you, EC.
You didn’t have Ol’ Murphy because he was busy at my house — breaking off the 40-foot city tree mid-trunk and making it land on my GOOD car. Well, shit.
At least it missed the house, but I think the car is totaled. Welcome to my world…
Holy hell, Marty – that’s a BFD! I hope you get a good insurance settlement and a new car out of the deal.
Oh Marty. I am so very sorry – and grateful you weren’t in the aquished car.
What a beautiful accidental shot. I can almost hear the singing. I doubt there will be much singing today with snow falling and the forecast for more.
The colors in this photo are amazing.
Thank you, Ron
Thank you, Alice. We only had snow for a few minutes and it didn’t stick. Plenty of rain though, and now wind.
Those settings are a case study. I am astonished how it turned out so well.
Your lucky star is much more powerful than Ol’ Murph, that’s for sure…
No difficulties loading your post.
I was astonished too, Jorge. Once I’d seen what settings I’d been using I almost deleted all of my images of this bird without even looking at most of them.
Such rich colors, that’s a wonderful shot. Perhaps he’s heralding the first green growth of spring; or the Meadowlark version of Que Será Será.
Ha, I just got rid of that ear worm from the last line in my post. Now it’s back again. Curses on Doris Day…
Well at least Murphy didn’t show his face while a 6000 lb log was hanging over your house!
Excellent point, April. I’ve got to learn to keep things in perspective!
Glad you were able to stick it to Ol’ Murph this time. Score one for the good guys! Your meadowlark is an exceptionally vivid and striking specimen. Beautiful!
Thank you, Marty.
Loving this. It makes me hear their pretty song.
Good. Thanks, Arwen.
Boy, that is one bold and beautiful Meadowlark, rich, rich gold color. Way to slip one through on Ol’ Murph!
Sorry to hear you’ve got more gray weather, we finally have clear skies after what seems like two months of gray and wet.
Thanks, Dave. Our forecast looks abysmal for the duration…
Ron – thanks for the info on the bold spring colors – was not aware of that.
You’re very welcome. Just so you know, these colors are real. I haven’t enhanced them during processing.
Beautiful photo Ron. Murphy tried to intervene and disrupt, but the photo gods prevailed and the photo is 9.75 out of a possible 10. The gold and black breast colors are so vivid, vibrant, whatever adjective fits best. Don’t think I have ever seen a Western Meadowlark photo with more bold color.
Everett Sanborn, Prescott AZ
Thanks, Everett. This time of year those colors are significantly more vivid than they are during late fall and winter.
Beautiful! Looks perfect. 😍 Visually I can’t really tell if there is a significant difference between the Western and the Eastern, but I’ve read their songs are different. Is at for quite some time yesterday for one to come up out of the grasses…he was too content to do his singing down low. I manged a photo in the low grasses but only got his head and open beak singing up a medley. Not an easy bird for me as they do not usually venture close enough for my reach (only when hidden in grasses)! 🙂
Kathy, I have no experience with Eastern Meadowlarks but I’ve read that they’re next to impossible to distinguish from Westerns physically but their songs are different (as you mention).
Made it! 🙂 Beautiful shot, Ron – Murphy let one get by you! 😉 This bird is also more “golden” than I’m used to seeing here but still gorgeous. Wind/rain/snow in places for us this morning……. Your tree would have had a ball shedding twigs/limbs in it as I’m sure our Golden Willows are doing….
Thanks, Judy.
As the storm we’re having right now was moving in late yesterday afternoon we had some very impressive thunder and lightning. I was soooo glad that tree was gone! As tall as the tree was it was like a lightning rod on the hill so it was a disaster waiting to happen.