Name: Giacomo Redaelli
Picture title: Rock Star
Category: Young CUPOTY
Nationality: Italian
Age: 17

Giacomo says:
‘I had already photographed great crested tits close to home, but this time I wanted a picture of one against a blurred white background to make the red eye of the bird stand out. To create the picture I had in my mind’s eye I had to travel four hours to a wood in Switzerland. It was very cold and the snow covered almost everything. When I arrived, I saw many birds in the wood, but no crested tits.

I walked for almost an hour in this beautiful landscape before I heard a familiar call. I stopped, took my camera out of the bag and waited, without moving. I couldn’t tell where the call was coming from. After a while a crested tit flew on to a branch right in front of me. I moved as slowly as possible, trying not to scare it away, and brought my camera up to my face. I was so happy to see the bird in the viewfinder. I focused on the eye and got a few nice shots.’

Technical information:
Nikon D500
Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8
ISO 180
f/2.8
1/1000sec
Accessories: None
Post processing: Basic adjustments in Photoshop.

Website: giacomoredaelli.com
Instagram: jackpicz