Birds in Nature - images of wild birds by Richard Ditch

Subject: Spotted Towhee (Pipilo maculatus)
Place: Boyce Thompson Arboretum, Superior, AZ, USA
Date: January 1995
Equipment: Nikon 8008, Nikkor EDIF 400/5.6 & TC14 converter (= 560/8), tripod
Film: Kodachrome 200
Exposure: aperture priority center-weighted meter
Scan: Minolta Dimage, 80% of frame

Commentary: This was another "pot luck" shot, where I was walking around at a favorite birding location when I stumbled on this towhee ahead along the trail. I dropped to my knees to use the tripod, which had the legs collapsed for easy hiking, and took this shot. There were branches and leaves between the lens and the bird, which caused the soft look and overall color in the image. I wasn't expecting quite this appearance when the slides came back from processing, but like the "Oriental painting" look a lot. I doubt if I could reproduce the look even if I tried.

This image appears on page 33 of Sparrows of the United States and Canada, The Photographic Guide, by David Beadle and James Rising.