Blanki Fernandez-Miranda

New Beginnings

A California Scrub Jay outside my backyard. It is a blue black and white bird that is a member of the corvid family. In the picture it is holding a piece of food in it's mouth whilst perched on a tree branch. Taken at F/16, 1/80 Shutter Speed, 1000 ISO, with a 300 mm lens.
A California Scrub Jay outside my backyard. It is a blue black and white bird that is a member of the corvid family. In the picture it is holding a piece of food in it’s mouth whilst perched on a tree branch. Taken at F/16, 1/80 Shutter Speed, 1000 ISO, with a 300 mm lens.

For this prompt, we had to tell a story of “New Beginnings”. I chose to photograph a California Scrub Jay, my favorite bird and overall animal. For a few years I’ve become completely enraptured by birds. To me, the inherent freedom they find in flight is part of why I think they are the perfect symbol for this new year. 2024 was a hard year for me, so seeing an animal I love so much so free-spirited in the wild gives me the strength to continue into the new year. I used an unsharp mask along with a lens flare to emphasize the vibrant colors of the bird and the outdoors along with giving the photo more appeal.