Paradise, Mount Rainier National Park, Washington
Blue in the Firs
At Paradise on Mount Rainier, a Steller's jay half hidden among fir branches, watching.
Steller's jays are loud, bold birds. This one was neither. It sat quietly in the branches, partly screened by needles, and that's what made the picture.
The jay is in the centre of the frame, perched on a pale, lichen-covered branch, its body turned slightly to the left, its head in profile. Its crest is raised, a tall, spiky tuft of dark feathers. Its head and upper body are dusky brown-grey, shading into vivid blue on its wings and lower body, with a small fleck of blue above its eye. Its long tail hangs below the branch, dark blue-black.
Around it, fir branches fill the frame. The ones closest to the camera are out of focus, soft, bright green shapes that partly obscure the bird. The ones behind are also soft, darker green and brown. The jay is the only sharp thing in the picture, framed by blurred green on every side.
That framing was deliberate. I could have looked for a clear view of the bird. Instead I chose to shoot through the branches, so that the soft green in front of the bird becomes part of the composition. It gives the picture depth and a sense of discovery, as if you've just spotted the bird through the trees.
The light was soft and even. In processing, I kept the greens bright and fresh, and let the jay's blue stand out against them. The blue isn't as electric as it can look in full sun, but it's rich and deep, and the brown-grey of the head makes it stand out even more.
Steller's jays are common in the forests of the Pacific Northwest, including around Paradise. But common doesn't mean ordinary. Up close, the crest, the colours and the sharp eye are worth slowing down for.
From the bag
Sony A7R III · Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II · 200mm · 1/320s · f/2.8 · ISO 100
At 200mm and f/2.8, depth of field is very shallow, which turns the fir branches in front of and behind the jay into soft green shapes while keeping the bird sharp. Focus went on the eye. 1/320s at ISO 100 was enough to freeze a bird sitting still, with stabilization helping at 200mm. Base ISO keeps the fine feather detail and the soft greens clean.