Allen Kurth
October 2025 - Prairie Chicken
About the Image(s)
I used a Sony A1 with a 600mm lens for this shot. 1/2000 sec at f4. ISO 200.
The prairie chickens arrive at the lek before sunrise while photos are impossible. Once there is enough light for decent photos, they all suddenly leave until the next morning. ISO is unusual.
I tried several different crops before I settled on this one. I’ll put two others in the comments. I like photos that are well exposed and sharp. Sharpness is difficult because of the low light and shallow depth of field with the 600mm lens. I want to see action along with both heads. This shot had a couple of distracting elements – the second bird hasn’t reacted, the third bird is out of focus and the upper bird has damage to the outstretched wing.
4 comments posted
Allen Kurth
Posted: 10/12/2025 13:37:13
Allen Kurth
Posted: 10/12/2025 13:37:27
This is a superb image. I first see if there are catchlight in the bird's eyes...and there are in this case. For me , if we are not shooting photos for scientific purposes where precision and other factors are important, then the picture needs to be beautiful. Here, this picture is beautiful and dynamic. The airborne prairie chicken creates a powerful focal point. Its wings and tail feathers are dramatically splayed, conveying motion and intensity. The grounded birds anchor the scene, offering contrast and context. Their gaze upward adds narrative tension. The soft grassland backdrop isolates the subjects beautifully, enhancing clarity and emphasizing the birds' intricate plumage. This is a great work. Posted: 10/12/2025 14:39:40
Allen Kurth
Thanks for the kind words Pinaki! Posted: 10/12/2025 21:22:35