Silhouettes

Margarette and Her Cub Chelsea at Paradise Bend
Chignik River, Dawn, September 8, 2018

Cleared for Takeoff: Purple Martins on the Al-Can

Cleared for Takeoff: Purple Martins at the Kimiwan Bird Walk, Alberta, Canada, 7/28/12

Red-billed Choughs at Dusk

Red-billed Choughs at Dusk Gobi Desert, Mongolia, October 20, 2014

I decided to render this as a subtle duotone – a two-colored photograph – by enhancing the red on the one (and only) bill that showed the characteristic coloration of this corvid species. There was very little light when I captured this hand-held image; thus the remaining bills on these otherwise mostly black birds appear in colorless silhouette. Duotones can feel a bit gimmicky, but I like the effect here. What do you think?

I have begun working on a color portrait of one of these fascinating birds and will publish it tomorrow if all goes well.