WORLDWIDE PHOTO WEEK: Part 708 - A Little Red

Terry, I've spent too much time trying to get a good shot of one of these guys and nothing so far. Good for you.

I only just discovered these tiny buggers on my windowsill

Grizz1 wrote in post #19053510
Terry, I've spent too much time trying to get a good shot of one of these guys and nothing so far. Good for you.

Thanks Steve. This guy is one of the regulars to my backyard. Hopefully you will get one to cooperate for you one of these days. You do sound very busy. Pretty much cold,windy, and rainy here for the upcoming week or so.ߙ

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I can't help myself; I felt compelled to share "a little more red" before this theme closes out tonight.

Tom Reichner wrote in post #19053847
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I can't help myself; I felt compelled to share "a little more red" before this theme closes out tonight.

Hosted photo: posted by Tom Reichner in
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Nice one Tom. Haven’t had a good opportunity to photograph these guys yet this year.ߙ

KT29 wrote in post #19053901
Nice one Tom. Haven’t had a good opportunity to photograph these guys yet this year.ߙ

I've had ample opportunities to capture them. But everything I have pales in comparison to ones Tom posted!

Two from a walk today: bits of red in quite different settings

KT29 wrote in post #19053901
Nice one Tom. Haven’t had a good opportunity to photograph these guys yet this year.ߙ

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Well, you're only about 5 hours from me, right? . As soon as you feel that traveling is safe, come on over and shoot 'em at my spot. . I'd be glad to show you the place and get you started with them. . But the courtship activity will curtail in another few weeks, as most of the females will have been bred and will be nesting. . If you can't get over here this year, there's always next year.

I do realize that Red-winged Blackbirds are practically everywhere, but finding a place where the light and the background and the topography and the vegetation all work together to produce good photography is really hard.

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RhodyPhotos wrote in post #19053931
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I've had ample opportunities to capture them. But everything I have pales in comparison to ones Tom posted!
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Well thank you!

I have two things going for me:

The marsh a half hour away is laid out so that it gets early morning sunlight, and also golden hour evening light, shining right on the birds and the cattails that they use. . Also, it is laid out so that the birds can be aligned with my choice of backgrounds; either blue sky, distant mountain slopes, or the vast sea of cattail vegetation .....and sometimes even emergent foliage on nearby native deciduous trees and shrubs. . Any time a bird lands in a shootable area, I can pretty much choose whatever background I want to line him up with, and adjust my position accordingly.

The other thing going for me is that I am able to get into the cattails and break down last year's dead growth, so that the Blackbirds are not obstructed by an overabundance of dead vegetation. . This takes several days of very hard work early each spring. . I get in there as soon as I can after the snow melts, and try to groom the marsh before the birds get there. . I've found it to be well worth the effort, as it provides several weeks of enjoyable photography throughout March and April.


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As seen from my balcony last night.

Tom Reichner wrote in post #19054108
Well thank you!

I have two things going for me:

The marsh a half hour away is laid out so that it gets early morning sunlight, and also golden hour evening light, shining right on the birds and the cattails that they use. . Also, it is laid out so that the birds can be aligned with my choice of backgrounds; either blue sky, distant mountain slopes, or the vast sea of cattail vegetation .....and sometimes even emergent foliage on nearby native deciduous trees and shrubs. . Any time a bird lands in a shootable area, I can pretty much choose whatever background I want to line him up with, and adjust my position accordingly.

The other thing going for me is that I am able to get into the cattails and break down last year's dead growth, so that the Blackbirds are not obstructed by an overabundance of dead vegetation. . This takes several days of very hard work early each spring. . I get in there as soon as I can after the snow melts, and try to groom the marsh before the birds get there. . I've found it to be well worth the effort, as it provides several weeks of enjoyable photography throughout March and April.

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Wow, so much work. And the results reflect that! Maybe next year I'll try and get a head start. Right now, the marshes where I spot these are just what they are, marshes. Can't get any closer without stepping in the muck. But, i'll try flattening out the dead scrub before it gets going next time around. Till then I'll be the proverbial blind squirrel

Thanks for sharing the workflow. Its good to know what actually goes into producing great photographs.

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