Dinner is coming

[Kalin Botev]

Dinner is coming
Spring is in full speed and some of my favourite birds are doing their best for the young generation. I hope you enjoy the picture at least half as much as I enjoyed being there.
Nikon D3, 300 mm f/2.8 + 1.7 TC
f/6.3, 1/2000s, ISO 800, small crop and some local burning of spots which were too bright.
Cheers,
Kalin

[John Robinson]

Hi Kalin
I,ve come back to this a few times. wish maybe a little more detail in thehead area. very dramatic pic whatever,
Biggest nit is the pake area around the wing tip.
Still an eye catching shot though.
John

[Kalin Botev]

Hey John,
thanks for the comments. I can lighten the head a bit an get some more details. Nothing to do with the bright area around the wing tip. It was even brighter. This is a window which reflects the light in the back. And this was the best possible position I could take. There were windows and cars in the background in every direction.
Thanks for the tips!
Kalin

[Daniel Cadieux]

I like what you went for here. Very neat backlighting. The only thing that could make the incoming pose better was if the top wing was even higher and thicker (like the lower one). Still super. I suppose if you quick masked the first three primaries of the lower wing and then clone out the window reflection that could be a way to work it out. While at it I'd also remove the oof bug and small brighter spot beyond it too (if that is within your processing ethics). BTW, the raised crest looks awesome with that see-through light!

[Ritesh Nangare]

One of the most beautiful backlight shot i seen ...... beautiful image.

[David Salem]

Not a big fan of backlit images but this one's pretty cool looking. I like the fact that we can see the face pretty well and the raised crest is fantastic. May be selectively light in the face just a little more but otherwise well done

[Kalin Botev]

Thanks guys! It looks like a bit more light on the face will be better.
I am not much into cloning out or adding stuff to an image. It’s just not my thing :)
Daniel, I also wish the top wing was in a better position but I could not capture such a moment. The approach was quite unpredictable and I have it either with perfect wing spread but out of focus or in focus but banking with the wing. And the crest was always a lucky bonus.
K

[Marina Scarr]

Love backlit images and so happy to see you working your subject. Agree that I'd like a little more light on the face which you could manage easily in post processing.