The Cardinal

I was leaf blowing the back deck and found this cardinal amidst the dying leaves.  It was upsetting and after putting on rubber gloves  an inspection showed a puncture wound made on the other side.  I suspect a nearby hawk attacked the cardinal but it escaped only to die on our deck.  Wanting to capture detail and create a fitting setting, I placed the cardinal on my scanner with the leaf over it.  I first brushed it off with a new soft paintbrush.  I scanned it and did a lot of dust removal in Photoshop. Flatbed scanners are f2-3,  8x10 large format cameras capable of capturing incredible detail.  I know, it makes us sad to see this but also reminds of the beauty of this creature.  Jeff