March 2026 Wildlife Photography Contest Intermediate Category Winner (2)

In the spirit of Halloween, I couldn’t resist pulling over to capture this striking duo. The clouds were putting on a show, the sun was perfectly placed, and I’ve always had a soft spot for silhouettes.

The challenge? This scene unfolded in the middle of a bright, sunny day — far from the eerie mood I had envisioned. To create a darker atmosphere, I intentionally underexposed the shot, letting just enough light through to define their silhouettes, enhance the cloud texture, and subtly incorporate a few branches.

By carefully framing the sun between the two birds and dramatically underexposing the image, I transformed it into what looked like a glowing moon. There’s something especially satisfying about achieving that vision in-camera rather than in post-processing.

Definitely one worth “Raven” about.

Camera settings: 1/10,000s · ISO 80 · f/22