Monthly Archives: December 2020

Bluebirds in the mist…

Eastern Bluebird: Kennebunk, Maine, USA — Good light is the digital camera’s best friend. Today’s sensors are light hungry…they respond best to higher light levels. But, the truth is, you don’t always get good light, and good light for photography is sometimes not the best for showing the subtle colors and rich details of the birds around us. This shot was taken yesterday in the misty rain on our back deck, and it does an admirable job of capturing the look of a bluebird on a rainy day, even though the sensor was staining at ISO 2000. That is not all that high by full-frame standards, maybe, but is getting right on up there for an compact sensor camera like my Sony Rx10iv. Still, with just a bit of extra noise reduction in Polarr, it makes an effective shot. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr using my “low light” preset, which includes noise-reduction, and finished up in Apple Photos. ISO 2000 @ f4 @ 1/500th.

Hoover at the seed…

Chipmunk, Kennebunk, Maine, USA — I am not in the habit of naming our wild neighbors, but if I were, this one would be “Hoover”. It is dainty, even for a chipmunk, and it is the last of our chipmunk visitors to be a daily under the feeders. Perhaps it was assigned clean-up duty, or perhaps it is a first year chipper and does not have the whole “pack it away for winter” thing down yet. Whatever. I am fine with it until it climbs up and raids the sunflower seed feeder. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos. ISO 800 @ f4 @ 1/500th.