Biological imperative

[John Chardine]

Copulating Brown Skuas, Yankee Harbour, Antarctica.

Small crop and sharpen.

Camera: Canon EOS-1D Mark IV
Lens: EF400mm f/4 DO IS USM
Program: Manual
ISO 200, 1/1600s, f/6.3


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[Karl Egressy]

Great interaction picture, John. Great to have eye contact with both. Nice stretched wings and open beak.

[dankearl]

Superb interaction and details, I would maybe sharpen and punch up the eyes a bit, even if this is the natural look.
I think it might add some to the drama.

[Marina Scarr]

Your title made me smile, John. Terrific behavior you captured here. I am a little curious as to your ISO choice, esp with the 1D4.

Glad to see you are putting that lens to some serious good use!!!

[David Salem]

Nice shot of these guys copulating. Both birds are very sharp and well exposed. The open mouth of the male and his balancing on his wings is very cool. Well done.

[John Cooper]

lots of action going on here John and well captured. Nice even lighting, good sharp image with lots of impact. Very well timed!

[PhilCook]

Biological Imperative eh ?....wish I'd thought of that pick up line years ago lol lol

Great timing, lots of action and detail is very good....maybe a slight tweak in added contrast would improve even more, it just looks a little hazy as is

[Satish Ranadive]

Excellent image of interaction.Beautiful colors and lights.I like the wing stretch and open beak.Nice details too.

Regards,
Satish.

[John Chardine]

Thanks everyone! A few points are brought up around which I can weave an explanation.

These are dark birds against bright white snow and a tonne of light was being bounced around everywhere. If I have enough light I don't hesitate to lower the ISO to 200 or even 100 so long as I can maintain the desired SS and f-stop. The 400DO is fairly low contrast in conditions like this. I agree, the image could use a boost in contrast so long as the bird is not made too dark. I'll have a play!

[John Chardine]

Here's a total rework of the image from RAW. I reduced the brightness of the highlights and didn't lighten the shadow areas so much. Result is a darker image but more akin to what the eye saw that day. The goal was always to retain detail in the subjects' dark plumage. Thanks again for the comments.

[Nick Palmieri]

I like this a lot. Great behavior captured and love the open mouth. I think these birds against the snow really work. Agree that a contrast boost may improve it. Must have been posting at the same time...Re-post is a nice improvement.

[John Chardine]

By the way, this image shows how important the BPN skin is. With a dark skin like Capt. James mark II, the birds look lighter than when using BPN Light. I prefer the look with the dark skin. This is why image editing programs tend to have gone to a dark interface look.

[Daniel Cadieux]

This one rocks John. Where as some birds enjoy each other on the beach these guys prefer the colder snowy habitat. Repost adds just the right amount of punch.

[Jonathan Ashton]

Yes I like the repost, I prefer the contrast and greater apparent plumage detail. Timing is superb I guess the earth moved for him but not too sure about her.

[Kaustubh Deshpande]

John, what a shot. perfect capture of the moment. excellent techs. Light was not on your side...but you've processed this very well.

[Robert Holguin]

Excellent shot!!!
Teriffic interaction captured, great eye contact on both birds, excellent exposure, and great IQ.
Repost is much better.
Well done.