This image of the Black-cheeked Woodpecker (Melanerpes pucherani) was taken in the lowland rainforest near Capurganá, Chocó, Colombia—a remote coastal region along the Caribbean, where dense tropical forest meets the sea. I captured the bird just as it paused briefly on the trunk of a sunlit palm tree. It was only visible for a few seconds, but the positioning, light, and posture aligned perfectly. The vibrant red crown, black upperparts, and subtly barred flanks stood out crisply against the textured gray bark and the softly blurred green background.
The bird was approximately 12.4 meters away (a little over 40 feet). I used the Canon EOS R5 paired with the RF 800mm F11 lens and a 1.4x extender, giving me a total focal length of 1120mm. Because this lens-extender combination fixes the aperture at f/16, I set the ISO to 3200 to lift the exposure in the low ambient light of the forest understory. The camera selected a shutter speed of 1/180 second, which, combined with the lens’s stabilization and a steady hand, allowed me to capture sharp feather detail and texture without blur, even at such a long focal length.
This shot illustrates how combining reach, timing, and a little bit of patience can result in a powerful composition, even under challenging lighting conditions. In a scene filled with movement and filtered light, the moment of stillness from this woodpecker was both rare and rewarding.
©2022 Adam Rainoff Photographer
