A bright blue Indigo Bunting was hard to miss near the feeders at the Janet Huckabee Arkansas River Valley Nature Center in Fort Smith, Arkansas. I photographed this one on May 16, 2009, while it perched on a vine in the shaded area west of the building.
Arkansas Indigo Bunting Near the Feeders
This bird was perched on a vine close to the feeder area. That gave me a clean look at the bird without much clutter around it.
The west side of the building does not get much sunlight. It can be a dark place to photograph birds, but the darker background helped the blue stand out.
The male Indigo Bunting’s color is what caught my attention first. Even in the shade, that blue was hard to miss.
Photographing This Bunting in Low Light
The light was not great, so I used a wide aperture and raised the ISO. I also had to keep my shutter speed high enough for a hand-held 500mm lens.
Camera settings:
- Camera: Canon EOS-1D Mark III
- Lens: Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS
- Focal length: 500 mm
- Aperture: f/4
- Shutter speed: 1/320
- ISO: 800
- Exposure compensation: 0
- Support: Hand-held
- Date and time: May 16, 2009, 10:25 A.M.
I stayed back and worked with the opening I had. The vine, the bird’s posture, and the shaded background all helped the photo come together.
I also had another memorable moment with this species later on. You can see it here: A Magical Encounter With A Male Indigo Bunting.
Why This Perched Bunting Worked for Me
This was not a complicated scene. It was just a bright bird on a vine in a shaded spot near the feeders.
That is often enough for me. A simple perch and a clean background can make a strong bird photo.
The Indigo Bunting’s color carried this image. The low light made the shot more challenging, but it also helped keep the background quiet.