Bonding Chinstrap Penguins

[Norm Dulak]

Nikon D7000 w/Nikkor 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 vr lens @ 125mm, hand held
ISO 800; f/7.1, 1/1500 sec; MM + 0.67
CS6: crop, levels, web sizing, sharpen

This image was captured at the Chinstrap penguin colony on Half Moon Island, Antarctica.

Norm


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[gail bisson]

Hi Norm,
I love the image design and the composition.
The diagonal lines of heads, beaks, chinstrap line and the oval shape of the eyes are great.
I think this image has more detail that can be extracted out of the blacks. This is a shot that could be greatly enhanced with NiK Effex detail extractor and tonal contrast.
I would take a bit off the RHS to make it tighter and more of a true vertical,
Gail

[Richard Stern]

Hi,

I can't comment on much of Gail's reply, as I have no experience with Nik Effex, but I agree a true vertical crop with a bit off the right might be nice. Otherwise I love the picture, with the contrast, the sharpness, the pattern on the birds, the touch of color in the eyes, and the separation of the beaks.

Richard

[Dan Busby]

A very difficult exposure to pull off Norm. But I see good detail in the brightest whites and the darkest blacks, so nicely done. I really like the comp. and being able to see both eyes well. Really nice. I don't use the NIK detail extractor (yet) but I agree that may help to pull out a bit more detail, especially on the bird facing the camera.

[Grace Scalzo]

Very sweet, Norm. The interaction is what makes this so special.

[Norm Dulak]

Thanks everyone for the comments and suggestions thus far. Although I'm not familiar with Nik Effex, I'll get it and see what it can do.

There is a story behind my OP image. Before it was captured, I photographed the penguin on the right some distance from his nest. And he had in his beak a most precious object for Antarctica -- a twig. To get the twig to his nest, he had to run a gauntlet, wending his way through the colony while enduring numerous back bites from other birds!

Norm

[Daniel Cadieux]

I like the intimacy you got here. Good job with the tough exposure, what looks like overcast conditions helped. Do the pupils need darkening, or are the eyes normally "hazy" like this for this species? I think you could have pointed your down a wee bit more comp-wise, but still works well as is. Thanks for the story behind the image!