Bee-eater in flight

[Paul Burdett]

Hi all. Haven't posted for a while, but was very happy to get this today. A new location only 20 minutes from home. Plenty of bee-eaters around, but so hard to get them in flight. Patience is a virtue:bg3:

D500/500F, 1/5000th sec@f7.1, iso1600, manual mode, HH. Cheers.

[Ian McLachlan]

This is pretty hard Paul so well done .I have the same gear; but the AI and 200/600 lens now as well ,and am finding that the 500 d +pf gets me closer but not enough different wing positions ;and like Bill's frame todaythe A1 will nail the bird coming from any angle and straight at you at 30/40 mph! And the 200/600 lens is super sharp as many have shown. What convinced me was Arash's Peregrine coming straight at him every frame dead sharp. Mind you we are not Arash! Love those Bee Eaters. In Brisbane?

[Dorian Anderson]

That's a fantastic pose, Paul. Being able to see all the colors, including the blue undertail is a real treat. Head angle and open are fantastic, and I think you've composed things well. While not perfect, the IQ is still very, very good.
I would clone the second catchlight, the bright feather just below the breastband, and the bright bit just in front of the feet. Bravo otherwise!

[Bill Dix]

A beauty of a shot, of a fast bird.. Great flight position, and I love the open beak. Lovely colors. Nicely done.

[Andreas Liedmann]

Hi Paul ... stunning shot and you did well to capture this image , great field work !!!!

Overall colors and tones looking good , with nice details .

To me the really dark tones showing too much blue .... might be just me :w3

Love it and TFS Andreas

[Paul Burdett]

Thanks so much for the feedback...appreciated as always.
Ian: Yes, Brisbane.
Dorian. This is a fair crop, so I guess IQ suffered. Yes, I cloned the bits as suggested, and it looks better!
Andreas: Will take another look at the blues.

[Brian Sump]

Paul, really great accomplishment. I've not seen them in person but I have shot similar and you have to be REAL quick.... and a tiny bit lucky too :-)

Very nice look at this one in flight, solid wings up position. Fantastically sharp in key areas.

I do agree with Andreas, and perhaps playing with the saturation or tones in the bkg might help the subject pop a bit. Worth a look, but a real gem to view, thank you!

[Paul Burdett]

Thanks Brian...appreciate the kind feedback. Will take a look at the colours again. Cheers.

[Joseph Przybyla]

Hi Paul, wonderful image. I imaging you were pumped when you reviewed the image. Nice work capturing the image and post processing. Thank you for sharing.

[Daniel Cadieux]

Such a beautiful array of colours! Good suggestions above, and glad you applied them. Another bonus here is the slightly open bill to add even more interest, even if just a little.

[Paul Burdett]

Thank you Joseph and Daniel...really appreciate the kind feedback.