In the distance I heard the unmistakeable call of a Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon) during a recent at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. My eyes tried to follow my ears and I was finally able to locate the elusive bird, almost hidden against a backdrop of tangled trees. Was it worth taking a shot?
All photographers are taught to avoid cluttered backgrounds, because they make it difficult for viewers to focus on the primary subject—that is the conventional wisdom and it often makes sense, except when it doesn’t. The more I take photos, the more I realize that the “rules” are merely loose guidelines that need to be challenged regularly. When in doubt, I believe it is best to take the shot even when the lighting is bad, the shutter speed is too slow, or the background is too busy.
In this case, the small branches form an almost irregular pattern that more or less fades away for me, leaving me with the skeleton structure of the darker branches and the bird itself. The colors of the bird contrast so much with those of the branches that it stands out even though it is only a small part of the photo.
Does the image “work?” It is definitely not the “normal” kind of shot that I take, but I really like the way that it turned out. Sometimes it can be good to ignore the limitations of the rules and just go for it.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
You captured bird in context – exquisite geometry of tree limbs (seasonal opportunity) – and still all the feathery detail when I zoom in.
LOVE IT!
Thanks, Jazz. I think that you articulated the reasons why the image “works” much better than I did. 🙂
Agree with Jazz. A great seasonal setting. LOVE all the muted colors and multiple lines going in all directions. Colors that completely match the Kingfisher! And let’s face it, we are more desperate for any birds in the winter. Lol
Thanks, Cindy. Indeed we are all so happy to see birds in the winter that we will photograph all of the ones that we see. 🙂
You made the right decision. “Sometimes you can’t get what you want, but you can get what you need.”
We would have a lot less images if we kept to those rules.
I think it works, Mike. It’s a real scene. I can only imagine flying through that maze of limbs.
I guess it depend on the objective of the photo. It works if you are able to tell a story with the photo.
Thanks. That’s a good point about telling a story with the photo.
Nice Mike! For me photography rules are made to be broken! Especially in Commercial work!
That works for me Mike!
It’s a real challenge, in my experience, to get a good image of a kingfisher, as they are so aware of every little movement around them. A pair nest regularly on the shore of our Minnesota cabin and we often hear their chattering call as they fly over the lake, but I have yet to get close enough to one to get a good portrait. Fingers crossed for (hopefully) next year.
In my experience as well, kingfishers are super skittish. My most frequent sightings of kingfishers are of them flying away, chattering as they zoom by. It’s hard to tell if you will have a chance to see them in 2021, but I am hopeful that things will improve this year.
Rules were made to be broken and this does so pleasingly, Mike. It’s, as they say, in situ and how most of us see birds.
🙂 Ah, another rule-breaker.
We’re two badboys, Mike. 🙂
I actually love this image, especially enlarged. The twigs are like a quilt in the background.
Thanks, Nina. I really like the mental image of the twigs as a quilt.
It works for me— that background is a perfect fit for a distant bird in this context. If there had been only sky behind it the shot would have likely been nothing.
Thanks, Ellen. I really liked your final sentence. It caused me to think for a second and realized how true your sentence was, which is fascinating, given that most of the time I am trying to get a clear sky in the background.
Me, too! And I end up deleting so many images I shouldn’t have bothered taking.