Black Phoebe

[John Stuelpnagel]

Black Phoebe is about to have breakfast on the beach. I find these guys tricky to shoot and felt a little lucky when I got this one. I would have been a little luckier had the bug been in the same focal plane. Thanks for looking and for any comments.
1DX, 840mm, f/7.1, 1/2500, HH
DPP 4.2, PS cc

[Randy Stout]

John:

Well, I consider pretty remarkable to capture the soon to be snack at all. We seldom see the prey flying before getting snatched, so well done. Did you see the prey prior to pushing the button, or was this one of those happy coincidences?

(Not a criticism in anyway, as I have been the recipient of such luck myself).

I might consider cropping from the top some, as well as moving the bird slightly to the right in the frame, by adding canvas on the left, or just recropping the original.

Yes, the head angle of the bird is a bit away from us, but because of the obvious target, it still works very well.

Cheers

Randy

[John Stuelpnagel]

John:

Well, I consider pretty remarkable to capture the soon to be snack at all. We seldom see the prey flying before getting snatched, so well done. Did you see the prey prior to pushing the button, or was this one of those happy coincidences?

(Not a criticism in anyway, as I have been the recipient of such luck myself).

I might consider cropping from the top some, as well as moving the bird slightly to the right in the frame, by adding canvas on the left, or just recropping the original.

Yes, the head angle of the bird is a bit away from us, but because of the obvious target, it still works very well.

Cheers

Randy

Thanks for the comments Randy. No, I did not see the prey beforehand. The Phoebe was working the surfline catching bugs. Thanks for the suggestion on cropping. Originally, I was trying to give the impression that the bird was just off the sand, which it was, and thus elected to crop it low in the frame. I will try the alternative.

[Randy Stout]

John:

Thanks for the extra info. I will often crop a photo several times to see what looks the best, or tells the story the best. Not always exactly the same!

Cheers

Randy

[keith mitchell]

John think you luck held a bit getting the bug in the frame at all,I like the splayed wings and tail with plenty of detail for a flight shot, well done.

Keith.

[arash_hazeghi]

Very cool John, you got him in flight sharp and it's great that we can see the small bug in the frame too, in an ideal world the bird wouldn't be so close to the ground and I also agree with Randy re. crop

TFS

[John Hackney]

Awesome job on the capture. Wonderful shot. I would go for the crop changes mentioned, too.

[John Stuelpnagel]

Thanks Randy, Keith, Arash and John! I really appreciate your comments.

[David Salem]

Great capture John! I love trying to get action shots like this. Details look great too. Well done