While laying on the concrete patio (ouch!) trying to photograph bubbles and ripples in the fountain (I am studying the histogram in my photography class and I was trying to deliberately overexpose some photos) with my 300mm zoom lens, I quickly discovered that I was too close to focus on anything in the fountain with that long lens. I rolled over (ouch!ouch!ouch!) and a few feet away from me, under one of the patio chairs, was a young dove (they’re known as squabs—yes, that gourmet delicacy). It was smaller than the adult mourning doves that constantly copulate in my yard (that sad cooing that one associates with the mourning dove is actually the male proclaiming his prowess and is not a “mourning” sound at all!) with huge eyes and pinfeathers. It probably left the nest a day or so ago. It wary of me but not frightened. I took a few photos of it as it pecked at gravel on the patio and eventually disappeared in the shrubs. I liked this one the best, mostly because it was in focus, but also because the pattern reflected on its feathers from the mesh chair had an interesting effect.
Although I was trying to overexpose photos before the little squab came into my viewfinder, I managed to underexpose this so I had to increase the exposure and because I was laying on my side, the camera was a bit askew as I photographed and I had to straighten it as well.
Focal Length 300mm
ISO 100
f/6.3
1/160
Fabulous focus! Great capture! 🙂