catch light – Mia McPherson's On The Wing Photography

First Winter Common Goldeneye Drake Images

By Mia McPherson|January 24th, 2022|Categories: Birds, Common Goldeneyes, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: 1st winter, bill, breakfast, Bucephala clangula, catch light, Common Goldeneye, crawdad, crayfish, diving ducks, drake, duck, eating, first winter, goldeneye, goldeneyes, immature, male, paddling, pond, prey, Salt Lake County, swallowing, swimming, urban, Utah, water, winter, young|

Two days ago I spent a lot of time focused on a first winter Common Goldeneye drake as he swam, foraged, and ate at an urban pond close to home.

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Diving American Coot – Breaking My Own Rules

By Mia McPherson|December 8th, 2020|Categories: American Coots, Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Utah|Tags: adult, American Coot, catch light, coot, coots, diving, eye contact, Fulica americana, marsh, rules, subject, water, winter|

Typically I have a personal rule about having eye contact with my subject and I also want a catch light but to get this coot photo I had to break my own bird photography rules.

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Foggy Morning Red-tailed Hawks & Turkey Vulture

By Mia McPherson|March 27th, 2017|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Red-tailed Hawks, Turkey Vultures, Utah|Tags: balancing, birds of prey, Buteo jamaicensis, catch light, Cathartes aura, close up, fence post, flight, fog, foggy, foggy condition, hawks, Hawks of Utah, lichen, lift off, low light, nesting materials, perched, portrait, post, raptors, red-tailed, Red-tailed Hawk, Turkey Vulture, vulture, vultures, weather|

It wasn't "partly sunny" as predicted but I enjoyed myself while photographing the Turkey Vulture and Red-tailed Hawks on a foggy morning even though it tested my skills and techniques.

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Marbled Godwit with its shadow

By Mia McPherson|July 22nd, 2012|Categories: Birds, Florida, Marbled Godwits|Tags: adult, catch light, coast, coastal, feeding, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Godwit, godwits, Limosa fedoa, Marbled Godwit, mudflats, shadow, shorebird, water|

This Marbled Godwit had been feeding on the mudflats of a tidal lagoon at Fort De Soto's north beach.

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Great Blue Heron at Sunrise

By Mia McPherson|January 10th, 2012|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Great Blue Herons, Pinellas County|Tags: adult, Ardea herodias, autumn, catch light, close up, coast, coastal, fall, Great Blue Heron, Gulf of Mexico, heron, herons, pano composition, portrait, sunrise, wading birds, water|

Another one of the reasons I enjoy this photo is that the eye of the Great Blue Heron has a colored catchlight that is from the sun glowing yellow on the eastern horizon.

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