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On the lookoutMountain Bluebird (Sialia currucoides), Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, June 4, 2010, at 3:49 p.m., by Jim Chagares
Published: February 15, 2011  Mountain Bluebird (Sialia currucoides), by Jim Chagares
Chagares understands that preparation is key to getting a great shot, and this one was no different. By taking the time to study his subject, a female Mountain Bluebird, he learned two pieces of vital information: that the bird had made its nest in a hole in a road sign, and that she and her mate liked to land in a small tree nearby before going to the nest.
Chagares had just finished photographing a fox near the road sign on June 4 when the bluebird returned to the tree. When he looked up, however, he realized that this time the bird was carrying a snow-white feather, perhaps an eagle’s. The light, background, and perch were just right, and Chagares was ready.
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Equipment used
Camera: Canon EOS-1D Mark IV
Lens: Canon EF 800mm f/5.6L IS USM
Tripod: Gitzo GT3541XLS with full Wimberley head attached
Settings: ISO 800, 1/1000, f/8, aperture priority, +1/3 exposure compensation, AI Servo
Light: Available light, no flash
Format: Canon RAW CR2
Adjustments: Developed in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3. Minor levels and saturation adjustments, dust spotting, and noise reduction. Unsharp mask amount 100%, radius 0.5, threshold 0, cropped to 4x5 aspect ratio with Photoshop CS5.
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Meet the photographer
PHOTO MAN: Subscriber Jim Chagares, a professional photographer from Richmond, Indiana, likes to tell his clients that his portraits do not happen by accident but are a result of time, planning, and above all, care. He travels to Yellowstone and nearby Grand Teton National Parks in Wyoming to shoot portraits of a different kind three times a year.
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