Avian Portraits

I find avian portrait photography to be exciting simply because of the proximity to the subject. Portrait photography does involve a number of technical and ethical challenges, however. Using flash, for example, is usually problematic and often should be avoided. Being so close, the flash unit can startle the bird and produce undue stress. Also, in large-eyed species like Night-Herons, no matter how used to people the birds are, the flash produces red-eye across the eyeball–much as you would see in a mammal. This is very different from simply producing an additional catchlight or “steel eye” and destroys the image completely. All images were taken with Canon EOS 7D/500mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC) unless otherwise noted.

Baby Roseate Spoonbill at Smith Oaks Rookery, High Island, Texas.
Bring Me Fish! Baby Roseate Spoonbill at Smith Oaks Rookery, High Island, Texas. Canon EOS 7D/600mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). Natural light.
Great Horned Owl Portrait, Houston Audubon
Portrait: Great Horned Owl. Captive bird, natural light. Canon 7D/100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS. Thanks to Mary Anne Weber for access to her rehabilitated raptor collection. Photo taken at the Sims Bayou Urban Nature Center, Houston.
Barred Owl at the Sims Bayou Urban Nature Center, Houston, Texas
Barred Owl at the Sims Bayou Urban Nature Center, Houston, Texas. Captive bird, natural light. Photo taken at the 2014 Houston Audubon Raptor Shoot. The systematic culling of 3600 Barred Owls by U.S. Fish and Wildlife to alleviate competitive pressure on the Northern Spotted Owl will begin in the fall of 2014 in California, Oregon, and Washington. The “invasive” Barred Owls are fleeing destruction of their own habitat in other regions.
Great Egret with fish at the Hans and Pat Suter Nature Park, Corpus Christi, Texas
Great Egret with Fish at the Hans and Pat Suter Wildlife Refuge City Park, Corpus Christi, Texas. Natural light.
Plain Chachalaca at Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, Rio Grande Valley, Texas
Plain Chachalaca at Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, Rio Grande Valley, Texas. Natural light.
Juvenile Mexican Jay at Cave Creek Creek Ranch, Arizona
Juvenile Mexican Jay at Cave Creek Creek Ranch, Arizona. Canon EOS 7D/600mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). High-speed synchronized fill-flash.
Purple Gallinule Chick at Brazos Bend State Park, Texas
Purple Gallinule Chick at Brazos Bend State Park, Texas. Photo taken at Elm Lake. Natural light.
Young Mississippi Kite Portrait
Young Mississippi Kite. Captive bird, natural light. Canon EOS 7D/100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS. Thanks to Mary Anne Weber for access to her rehabilitated raptor collection. Photo taken at the Sims Bayou Urban Nature Center, Houston.
Mississippi Kite at the Sims Bayou Urban Nature Center, Houston, Texas.
Two-year-old Mississippi Kite at the Sims Bayou Urban Nature Center, Houston, Texas. Same bird as above, a year later at the 2014 Houston Audubon Raptor Shoot. Canon EOS 7D/100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS. Natural light.
Male Northern Cardinal at the Houston Arboretum
Male Northern Cardinal at the Houston Arboretum. Natural light.
Female Purple Gallinule at Brazos Bend State Park, Texas.
Immature Purple Gallinule at Brazos Bend State Park, Texas. Photo taken at Elm Lake. Natural light.
Blue Jay portrait in Houston, Texas
Portrait: Blue Jay. Houston, natural light.
Juvenile White Ibis at Brazos Bend State Park, Texas
Juvenile White Ibis at Brazos Bend State Park, Texas. Canon EOS 7D/600mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). High-speed synchronized fill-flash.
Eastern Screech Owl portrait
Eastern Screech Owl. Captive bird, natural light. Canon 7D/100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS. Thanks to Mary Anne Weber for access to her rehabilitated raptor collection. Photo taken at the Sims Bayou Urban Nature Center, Houston.

How can anybody learn anything from an artwork when the piece of art only reflects the vanity of the artist and not reality?–Lou Reed

 ©2014 Christopher R. Cunningham. All rights reserved. No text or images may be duplicated or distributed without permission.

3 Responses

  2. I look at a lot of wildlife photography, Chris, but yours is where I spend the most attention. The pictures are spot-on perfect and your narrative is very educational. Many thanks for continuing your work.

    Reply

    1. Hey Dennis:

      Really appreciate your continued support! We just got back from four days of shooting in the Rio Grande Valley. Never thought I would think of Houston as cooler than anywhere, but the Valley was truly sweltering. But we saw a number of new species, Mexican birds really (aka summer “Valley specialities”), and got some great shots that will figure into future posts. Keep on birding, Chris

      Reply

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