American Cardinal

I suppose, like many nature photographers, that capturing an American Cardinal is something we all have done at one point or another. Even though cardinals are fairly common, I have found that they are not very easy to photograph in an artistic way, since the contrast between their red feathers and black facial features often make it difficult to adequately capture their eyes clearly. This is one of the few photos I would consider printing, since it’s features are clearly articulated and the feathery plant it’s feeding on provides an airy lightness to balance the scene . I did not know, until recently, that cardinals have a genetic predisposition to suppress the West Nile virus once they are infected. I suppose that is reason enough to highlight this beautiful bird.