24 Nebraskaland • October 2020
For bird hunters, feathers to photograph are easy to come
by. Gaudy rooster pheasants are decked out in an array of
feather colors and patterns, and waterfowl, prairie chickens,
sharp-tailed grouse, quail and turkeys each have a unique
plumage.
Non-hunters seeking feathers need not fret: Ask a friend to
save you the plumage of their harvested birds, which can be
easily preserved and photographed later. I stretch and pin the
skins of fresh-cleaned birds, feather side down, to cardboard.
Then I sprinkle borax on them and rub it into any remaining
fl esh or fat on the skin. Two weeks later, shake off the borax,
and the preserved, odorless plumage is ready for a photo
shoot.
Though illegal to possess non-game, native birds, such
as cardinals or robins, or their feathers, I photograph these
in place when fi nding recently deceased birds. For example,
the unfortunate blue jay that fl ew into our picture window
became an ideal candidate. Single feathers, say from the
wing of a sandhill crane or tail of a yellow-shafted fl icker
or tom turkey, gracefully perched in nature, are also
photogenic.
I photograph feathers in the early morning or evening,
when low-angle sunlight best refracts iridescent colors from
the feathers and long shadows can add interesting detail (see
page 27 for more on refracted colors). If needed, I use a lens
brush to smooth the feathers and remove distracting fl ecks of
dried skin or other debris. In my backyard, I place the bird or
Northern shoveler wing feathers.
The long neck feathers of male greater prairie chickens are
fl ared upward during courting displays, resembling horns.
