Sandhill in the Spotlight

Taking advantage of some beautiful evening light, I photographed some closeups of this preening Sandhill Crane. The plumage and eye colour of this bird has always mesmerized me! By moving my position to align this preening Sandhill Crane with a background that was in the shade, I was able to get a virtual black background effect in the image. The sun lighting the frame slightly from the side also helped to cast shadows within the bird’s plumage, creating greater depth to the image than what could be achieved with direct front light.