Raven

Quoth the raven"Nevermore!" Although if you can take another shot as good as this, he might change his tune to "Just one more."

Jack. Thank you for the reference to "The Raven", although to please Edger Allen Poe, I think I have to shoot this at midnight, which is probably a bit more challenging :-).

Supriyo, all of the animal photos you posted are of high caliber. This one is so iconic that it immediately became my favorite. It's due to the tonal differences on the bird's belly and, more so, to the bird's head position. Superior work!

Thank you, Michael. In the West coast, I have seen some of the biggest ravens in my life. They can be seen in Yosemite as well as Grand Canyon. This one was shot on Catalina Islands off the coast of LA. Diffused sunlight is nature's way of providing studio umbrella. I read somewhere, the span of head movement is much more in birds than in mammals. That can lead to very dramatic poses.

Hi Supriyo,

 

a great and dramatic shot of this magnificent bird. You have used the pose and the compositional options it offers very well, color doesn't add much here. Good choices! I have a photo of a black crow that is strikingly similar ('Corvus corone') in my portfolio. Kind regards, Vincent

Thank you, Vincent. I am glad that you referred to your shot. I just saw the image in your portfolio. Its interesting that the pose of both birds are similar, yet the mood is different between the two. Yours is more imposing, dark and mysterious in a classic way. I think, mine retains more of the bird character, while yours goes beyond that and reflects more of an unique personality, like a dark spirit. I think, your picture reminds me more of what Jack described, by quoting the lines from the poem 'The Raven'.

Hi Supriyo,

 

thanks for checking out my black crow photo. You're absolutely right, as my editing shows, I went for a more dark and mysterious look, as I find the members of the corvus family really fascinating. Kind regards, Vincent