One of my favorite winter subjects in Yellowstone is the Common Raven. It’s almost inevitable that I am stopped at Roosevelt Junction at some point (there are nicer bathrooms there), and the usual pair of ravens is hanging around the parking lot. I photograph them nearly every time I visit the park.
During my February trip, one of the ravens was puffed up nicely on a fairly cold day, so I laid down and captured some shots on my belly as it strutted about.
Canon R5
Canon 600mm
ISO 1000
1/320th
f/6.3
+1 2/3 exp. comp.
(Dodged a little in post)
Great Raven shot, Max, I love the walking step. Nice beak and throat detail, I think you nailed the blacks . Feathers look warm and woolly and I don’t see that often. I’d be so tempted to remove the bits of flakes from the bird .
I love this picture so much, Max! Wow. I wish the ravens here were as acclimated to people as the ones in Yellowstone. My only successful shot of one was taken there. This shot has such life and verve - such a raven-y vibe. They’re raucous birds and are almost never ruffled - in any sense of the word - that this is such a treat to see. The detail in the feathers is gorgeous and you can really see the different types of feathers and how they are adapted to do what they do for the bird. Both eyes in the shot and that little step it’s taking. Wonderful. And getting the blacks and the whites to render this nicely is a feat in and of itself. I’m tempted to download just to print it and hang it on my wall. May I?
Kristen, thanks. Regarding printing, you would have to purchase a print from me. This is what I do for a living, after all. I’m happy to throw an NPN discount your way if you’d like to get in touch and discuss options.
An excellent choice for B&W, Max. The pose and your angle are wonderful. My personal taste would be to go a bit darker on the plumage, but I know I’m in a minority on how to render black birds. A great image.
Holy Cow Max. I don’t often come over to the Avian section but this image blows me away. Probably the nicest Raven image I’ve ever seen. I rarely see them so puffed up. Just a treat to look at.
Dennis, I’m actually with you on that, but in this case I felt there was a bit too much texture to lose in that ruffled feather pattern, so I sort of bit the bullet and went for it.
Hi Max,
This is pretty neat image. Reminds me of a woodcut print. I would leave the snow on the feathers as it shows the excellent insulation of a raven’s plumage at work. Comp is good and you could add some canvas if needed for framing as well. Darn good one. Awesome…Jim
