Picturavis
@Picturavis@pixelfed.de  ·  activity timestamp last week

Precious Feathers


This beautiful male white-tipped quetzal was nesting with its mate behind one of the El Dorado Nature Reserve's huts in Colombia. We also met them a few times during hikes in the forest. They are like large green forest spirits and have a beautiful metallic plumage.


The translations of "quetzal" from Nahuatl, the Aztec language, to English vary a bit. Quetzalcoatl, the Aztec deity, is literally translated to something like "serpent of precious feathers" with "coatl" translating to serpent. The full name of the related resplendent quetzal seems to be Quetzaltototl with "tototl" translating to bird. My completely amateur translatation of "quetzal" with no knowledge of the language is therefore "precious feathers" which I think is an apt name for these bird species.


Sources of translation: https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/ and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quetzalcoatl#Etymology


To be able to photograph in these dark forest conditions, I had to learn to go far below my comfort shutter speed of usually 1/500 s with the 600 mm (900 mm effective) telephoto lens. With some (forced) practice I was able to capture images like this one at 1/100 s handheld. My gimbal tripod was not an option, as it slowed me down too much during hikes, and the ability to react quickly was more important to me than deleting fewer blurry photos after each day.


Pharomachrus fulgidus | White-tipped quetzal | Glanztrogon

Nikon D500, Sigma 150-600mm C, 600 mm, f/6.3, 1/100 s, ISO 2200, handheld
#bird #nature #photography #green #colombia#digiKam #darktable
Picturavis
@Picturavis@pixelfed.de  ·  activity timestamp last week

Precious Feathers


This beautiful male white-tipped quetzal was nesting with its mate behind one of the El Dorado Nature Reserve's huts in Colombia. We also met them a few times during hikes in the forest. They are like large green forest spirits and have a beautiful metallic plumage.


The translations of "quetzal" from Nahuatl, the Aztec language, to English vary a bit. Quetzalcoatl, the Aztec deity, is literally translated to something like "serpent of precious feathers" with "coatl" translating to serpent. The full name of the related resplendent quetzal seems to be Quetzaltototl with "tototl" translating to bird. My completely amateur translatation of "quetzal" with no knowledge of the language is therefore "precious feathers" which I think is an apt name for these bird species.


Sources of translation: https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/ and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quetzalcoatl#Etymology


To be able to photograph in these dark forest conditions, I had to learn to go far below my comfort shutter speed of usually 1/500 s with the 600 mm (900 mm effective) telephoto lens. With some (forced) practice I was able to capture images like this one at 1/100 s handheld. My gimbal tripod was not an option, as it slowed me down too much during hikes, and the ability to react quickly was more important to me than deleting fewer blurry photos after each day.


Pharomachrus fulgidus | White-tipped quetzal | Glanztrogon

Nikon D500, Sigma 150-600mm C, 600 mm, f/6.3, 1/100 s, ISO 2200, handheld
#bird #nature #photography #green #colombia#digiKam #darktable
Evan Sky arts
@evansky_arts@mastodon.social  ·  activity timestamp 2 weeks ago

« Under the Willow » 🪿

I only drop a new full illustration every 6 months, but boy is it worth it 💅

This illustration is inspired by a picture I took when taking a walk, they looked like they were on a date and it was adorable!
Prints should be available soon! Stay tuned!

#art #nature #illustration #digitalArt#DigitalIllustration#Procreate#Bird#Birds#BirdsOfMastodon #drawing#OriginalArt#Fediverse#FediArt#Pixelfed#MastoArt#BloomScrolling

Square digital illustration: two Egyptian geese are sitting and cuddling side by side on the arched trunk of a dead tree lying in a river. One branch of the tree grew sideways, forming an arch over the geese, a thick plant growing around it with a few bloomed pink bell flowers that seem to be glowing slightly. In the background, the riverbank is filled with dense trees, plants and mossy rocks that disappear in the shadow. Reed grass is growing on the edge of the water along a weeping willow. A soft, warm light is coming from the side, illuminating the scene in a comforting way.
Square digital illustration: two Egyptian geese are sitting and cuddling side by side on the arched trunk of a dead tree lying in a river. One branch of the tree grew sideways, forming an arch over the geese, a thick plant growing around it with a few bloomed pink bell flowers that seem to be glowing slightly. In the background, the riverbank is filled with dense trees, plants and mossy rocks that disappear in the shadow. Reed grass is growing on the edge of the water along a weeping willow. A soft, warm light is coming from the side, illuminating the scene in a comforting way.
Square digital illustration: two Egyptian geese are sitting and cuddling side by side on the arched trunk of a dead tree lying in a river. One branch of the tree grew sideways, forming an arch over the geese, a thick plant growing around it with a few bloomed pink bell flowers that seem to be glowing slightly. In the background, the riverbank is filled with dense trees, plants and mossy rocks that disappear in the shadow. Reed grass is growing on the edge of the water along a weeping willow. A soft, warm light is coming from the side, illuminating the scene in a comforting way.
Evan Sky arts
@evansky_arts@mastodon.social  ·  activity timestamp 2 weeks ago

« Under the Willow » 🪿

I only drop a new full illustration every 6 months, but boy is it worth it 💅

This illustration is inspired by a picture I took when taking a walk, they looked like they were on a date and it was adorable!
Prints should be available soon! Stay tuned!

#art #nature #illustration #digitalArt#DigitalIllustration#Procreate#Bird#Birds#BirdsOfMastodon #drawing#OriginalArt#Fediverse#FediArt#Pixelfed#MastoArt#BloomScrolling

Square digital illustration: two Egyptian geese are sitting and cuddling side by side on the arched trunk of a dead tree lying in a river. One branch of the tree grew sideways, forming an arch over the geese, a thick plant growing around it with a few bloomed pink bell flowers that seem to be glowing slightly. In the background, the riverbank is filled with dense trees, plants and mossy rocks that disappear in the shadow. Reed grass is growing on the edge of the water along a weeping willow. A soft, warm light is coming from the side, illuminating the scene in a comforting way.
Square digital illustration: two Egyptian geese are sitting and cuddling side by side on the arched trunk of a dead tree lying in a river. One branch of the tree grew sideways, forming an arch over the geese, a thick plant growing around it with a few bloomed pink bell flowers that seem to be glowing slightly. In the background, the riverbank is filled with dense trees, plants and mossy rocks that disappear in the shadow. Reed grass is growing on the edge of the water along a weeping willow. A soft, warm light is coming from the side, illuminating the scene in a comforting way.
Square digital illustration: two Egyptian geese are sitting and cuddling side by side on the arched trunk of a dead tree lying in a river. One branch of the tree grew sideways, forming an arch over the geese, a thick plant growing around it with a few bloomed pink bell flowers that seem to be glowing slightly. In the background, the riverbank is filled with dense trees, plants and mossy rocks that disappear in the shadow. Reed grass is growing on the edge of the water along a weeping willow. A soft, warm light is coming from the side, illuminating the scene in a comforting way.