OK, if you were expecting a photo of a black and white Ford Police Interceptor, you would be excused, at least in North America. Up until recently pretty much the only car that the cops (and grandpas) would drive was the 15 ton automobile. Unfortunately this poor guy shares a very similar name.
Believe or not, that's a pigeon. Or more properly "Goura Victoria," which translates roughly to whackiest looking hairdo you've seen today.
What I learned in taking this photo: Patience and background. The background must be taken into account, especially when the depth of field is shallow. I took several angles of this guy, who thankfully did not move much, some with gray rocks and colorless features behind him. They were not so impressive, so I moved to a vantage point that positioned him in front of some shrubbery and the result, more colorful, was much more pleasing. As for the patience, I had to simply wait him out until he turned his head allowing me to catch the profile. Victoria Ron. Oh, and a monopod came in quite handy.
Wow, this bird has STYLE by the bucketful.. that crimson eye against the blue is a knockout, glad you got the whole iris.. the background is worth all that you went through to get it.. it sets the bird off a treat.. great framing/composition.. loved the narrative..
Well Captured, m'friend! Your patience paid off with watching for the right background and getting the crispest of shots! What a beauty! Perhaps pigeons wouldn't be disparaged so if they looked more like this!
Fantastic clarity, colour and composition Ron, as always with a wonderful shallow depth of field and framing, by the way didn't Ford ceased production of the car some time ago, Fav:)
@jorlam You know, you're the only one that brought up the eye, which I thought was striking, but I guess the crazy crown really grabs the eye. I appreciate your enthusiastic and encouraging comments! Means much!
@taffy Oddly enough, a year or so ago I posted a shot of a West African Crane, the guys with the crazy gold crest that looks like a shiny frightened mop, and "good hair day" is precisely the title I used. Great minds at work in symmetry! (BTW, look for another post of the golden topped beauty soon.) Thanks very much for your comments. :-)
@maggiemae Thanks Maggie. I actually thought it was a peacock until I looked to the signs to figure out what kind it was. Never have seen such a do on a pigeon, that's for sure. Thanks for stopping by!
@pcoulson Thanks as always for the nice words Peter. Yes, Ford has discontinued production of the car, and the cops are pretty much replacing them with SUVs now (or CTVs, as I call them - Child Transportation Vehicles). You still see a good number of them on the road though. Durable old boats they are I guess.
@jaybutterfield Thanks Jay. So you're saying it's a female? ;-) (Oh, am I going to hear it now!). Hey, good news, I grabbed a few more stranger shots this evening. Look for posts soon.
Congratulations on TT!