Sparrow details II

February 4, 2015 by Mike Powell

When you are walking or driving around, looking for subjects to photograph, which ones will actually cause you to stop, grab your camera, and take some shots? Does it take an impressive and relatively rare subject like the bald eagle that I featured in yesterday’s posting? Would you stop to photograph a sparrow?

Over the past few years, I’ve read a lot of blog postings and seen some amazing photos, but I must confess that only a few of them have made such an impression that I remember their content. In a memorable posting in July 2013, Lyle Krahn, an amazing photographer and thought-provoking blogger, put forward a concept called “stopping power. Here’s an extract from that posting:

“I think every beautiful scene has stopping power. That’s my term for the ability of a scene to make a person stop hiking or driving in order to pull out a camera and make images. Did you ever wonder what makes you stop? Do you ever hear the music?”

I hear the music almost all of the time and the threshold for my “stopping power” is really low—almost any sound or color or movement is enough to cause me to stop when I have my camera with me.

Do I really need more shots of sparrows? Last week, I spent some time watching and photographing this sparrow, which I think is probably a Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia), as it pecked about in the shallow water at my local marsh. The light was coming in from the side and I had to wait and wait for the bird to lift its head to a position where it would not be in the shadows.

In the end, I got a couple of shots that I really like, images that show some of the beautiful details of this little sparrow, a bird that has “stopping power” for me.

Be sure to check out Lyle’s website, Krahnpix, for some incredible wildlife shots that are guaranteed to stop you in your tracks. His quirky humor and provocative prose will both entertain you and prompt you to think a little more critically about your photography and maybe even your life.

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter | Tagged Alexandria VA, Canon 50D, Huntley Meadows Park, Melospiza melodia, song sparrow, sparrow, stopping power, Tamron 150-600mm telephoto | 12 Comments

12 Responses

on February 4, 2015 at 6:51 am | Reply Victor Rakmil

Definition no.2 of stopping power: the ability to stun your audience with the impact of your photographs. Really great shots of the sparrow.
- on February 4, 2015 at 6:55 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Victor. I really like the definition you put forth from the perspective of a viewer. I know what I like and my photos tend to be taken and displayed from that perspective. Sometimes I know that folks will like a particular image, but at times I have been surprised or disappointed at times by the reactions of others to an image.
on February 4, 2015 at 9:07 am | Reply New Hampshire Garden Solutions

You and I have the same problem; I stop for just about everything. I’m glad you stopped for this sparrow. You got some great shots of him.
on February 4, 2015 at 1:18 pm | Reply gaiainaction

Thanks for leading us to Lyle’s blog, brilliant photos and write ups. I am also impressed with your sparrows and have been enjoying your writing about them and your photos. I never actually realised that there was such a sparrow as would sing, here they only chirp (but they are still real lovely).
Greetings
on February 4, 2015 at 4:32 pm | Reply Ginny48

Beautiful captures of the Song Sparrow, Mike. He/she sure is pretty. Your photos make the browns and grays really vibrant. I so appreciated the quote from Lyle Krahn. Like you, my “stopping power” threshold is very low. As a matter of fact, it’s so low that my husband doesn’t like hiking or walking with me when I have my camera around my neck. I constantly see things that “need” to be photographed. My eyes seem to frame everything into a photo. In all fairness to him, I try awfully hard to put the camera away at times, but it is hard – especially when my eyes see all the thing I’m missing!! I hope you’ll keep photographing the sparrows – you must have quite a variety in your neck of the woods.
on February 4, 2015 at 6:21 pm | Reply mysending

What a great problem, to be hit with such powerful stopping power!
on February 5, 2015 at 2:08 am | Reply Lyle Krahn

I’m honoured and surprised that you not only remembered one of my posts but blogged about it. I’m also a bit sheepish since the redesign knocked most of the formatting so I was busy knocking off cobwebs and adding paragraph breaks today. I guess I didn’t expect company back so far. Good lesson for me.

I am envious of your low threshold for stopping power and being able to photograph so many things so well. You hear a lot more music but the concept still works for me.
on February 6, 2015 at 9:56 am | Reply Jet Eliot

Your stopping power has been inspiring me to pause longer for quite some time now.
on February 9, 2015 at 2:29 am | Reply Marie Keates

I take way too many photos all the time but your sparrow was well worth stopping for
on February 12, 2015 at 6:20 pm | Reply Sue

Nice Ones! You caught the glint in its eye.
on February 15, 2015 at 11:33 am | Reply nliakos

Just beautiful, Mike, you take the pictures I yearn to take.
- on February 15, 2015 at 7:30 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Nina. I try to place myself in situations where I can have an opportunity to take photos, but I never know what will come my way. My skills are improving gradually over time and I hope they will continue to do so.