Seattle Times reader Mike McAuliffe’s image of a cedar waxwing in warm winter light.
Photographer: Mike McAuliffe, Edmonds
Photo taken: Jan. 15, Ballinger Park, Mountlake Terrace
Photographer’s description: “It was unusually warm and there was a break in the rain so I headed out looking for birds. My luck was good, and I found a large flock of cedar waxwings dining in trees full of berries at Lake Ballinger. Photo taken with Nikon D500 camera and Nikon 200-500mm lens.”
Critique: “Warm light really makes the bird and berries pop in this photo, along with the telephoto lens used to make the background out of focus. Placing the bird in the right part of the frame really helps direct viewers to explore all the small, sharp details around the bird.”
Below is a gallery of previous Reader’s Lens picks. Share your recent photo from around the Northwest. Submit online at seattletimes.com/submit-photos. Our favorite will appear in this spot next week. We’ll judge the year’s best and award prizes in December.