Jan Helton Artworks
July 1, 2020
Newsletter
|
|
In Search of the Elusive Indigo Bunting
Fresh From the Easel: "Indigo Bunting"
Years ago while biking on the Katy Trail along the Missouri River, I glimpsed a tiny bright blue bird high up in the trees—my first sighting of an Indigo Bunting. Since then, I've often seen these elusive little gems flitting by or singing high up in the trees at the area parks...always too quick or too far away to get a good look, much less a photograph.
Recently, I've been taking my Nikon P900 camera along with me whenever I am biking at 370 Lakeside Park, where a four-mile paved bike path surrounds a large lake/wetlands area rich with birds. I've seen and photographed a wide variety of feathered creatures, including Eastern Meadowlarks, Herons, Pelicans, Killdeer, Cedar Waxwings, even Dickcissel (my first sighting!), but the Indigo Buntings remained the biggest challenge. As I ride my bike along the path, my eyes roam from the water's edge to the treetops in search of birds, specifically those that do not frequent my backyard. Whenever I see the telltale flash of sapphire, it's usually gone before I have a chance to even think about taking a photograph.
It was time to get serious. I had ridden my bike around that lake many times, so I had a general idea the areas in which I often spotted the Indigo Buntings. With camera at the ready, I would slow my speed and look far ahead of me for that distinctive blue speck. There were many times I stopped and got off my bike to wait and see if the buntings would emerge. My camera is lightweight and has a superzoom (up to 2000 mm, so you might say "hyperzoom"). In other words, I can get some fabulous photographs from quite a distance away. I've also discovered Bird-watching Scene Mode, where, at the touch of a button, my camera snaps up to seven photographs in quick succession.
I would often see that speck of blue far ahead of me on the trail.
As I drew near, that blue speck would inevitably fly into dense foliage for safety. When I looked through the camera lens to take this photograph, I literally searched for that tiny spot of blue, zoomed in on it, pushed the shutter button, and hoped for the best. Out of the dozens of photos taken, I would be lucky to get something decent.
I was happy to get this little guy out in the open, but unfortunately he was facing away from me.
My bicycle rides often take place in the evening, which makes for low lighting in the trees. This bunting was pretty high up and unconcerned as he preened.
I got a pretty good shot as he paused from his preening. I was thrilled with this image, except for the lighting, of course. I played around with my photo editing program, and along with a bit of artistic license, I created a painting from the above photograph (see below).
Original Watercolor Painting: "Indigo Bunting"
I'm pleased with the resulting painting for a number of reasons: the experience and emotion of being present in this bird's private world, feeling the breeze, hearing the birdsong, and feeling the excitement of success, both in capturing the bird on "film" as well as in watercolor.
I hope you enjoy my painting as much as I've enjoyed the process of painting it!
Paint. Love. Repeat.
|
|
Thank you for reading my newsletter!
I'd love your feedback!
If you've found this information helpful, please share!
©2020 Janine Helton - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
|
