Eye to Eye

[Gerrie van Vuuren]

This is a big crop and have more wrong than right in it. These busy bodies feed out of reach and I shot him well knowing that the image would not amount to much due to size. I was however pleasantly surprised with this image and could not get myself to bin it. It really looks as if they are giving each other the eye and I like the little tongue close to the mouth of the fish. Hope you like it too!:)

MK III
600mm + 2x Convertor
1/2000
f/8
ISO500

[Joerg Rockenberger]

You should have heard me when I just opened your post. Wow. WOW. Yes, the big crop shows but it's still WOW for the action and relative sharpness. Some of the PP gods here could probably turn this into a killer image. Congrats, JR

[Charlie VanTassel]

That's pretty incredible. I'd keep this one too. The pattern of the reeds is a nice backdrop for so much color and action. I think I'd just knock down the noise in the blue background a little.

[Stu Bowie]

Clever title Gerrie, and agree with you that the MK's tongue shows up very well against the fishes mouth. The colours look natural, and overall, well done under the circumstances.

[Dave Barnes]

With the 600+2xTC, ISO500 and a big crop you did well. I like the moment you have captured Gerrie.

[Stephen Earle]

A very viewable image. Keep it!

[Harshad Barve]

Dont worry about IQ and all , this is simply outstanding shot
TFS

[Morkel Erasmus]

I agree that doing some more NR around the bird you can make it stand out even more. Have you considered a slightly larger composition (since it's a big crop) to preserve IQ? love the tongue and eye contact and would definitely love having it in my collection...

[Chris Kotze]

Ditto comments super image, Great title and moment

[Ákos Lumnitzer]

That's very cool Gerrie, never mind the crop, though it shows a bit of noise. I masked the KF and fish, ran some NI on the BG. Then inversed selection and applied a little levels adjustment to the bird (slighltly darkened blacks and midtones), then sharpened with smart sharpen 126/0.3 (then reduced to 40%). Then applied a 1pixel refine edge. And removed the lower catchlight. Hope you like.
It's a marvelous catch for YOU both! :)

[Ákos Lumnitzer]

And this is with all except the smart sharpen applied.

[Harshad Barve]

Akos's repost takes this image to new heights
TFS

[Rohan Kamath]

Akos has takes an awesome image to all new levels... very beautiful species btw...

[David Fletcher]

Brilliant shot Gerrie. Outstanding. Akos's repost take sit up new heights. Very well done.

[Vivek Khanzode]

Wow WOW!! My rule of thumb is that I would never dump an image if it tells a story. Forget about the resolution and all the technical aspects of this image, it tells a story and does it well.

Thanks for sharing and I am glad (should I say envious ;) ) you were present to see this in person!! One of my favorite birds too...

-- Vivek

[Keith Bauer]

Yep, very cool image. Great timing. While the background isn't ideal, it is real. These "environmental" shots work. I like the repost very much. You've done well with the 2x to keep the detail

[Bill Jobes]

This is one of the best -- and most unusual action images I've seen in a long time, Gerrie.

And the crop is excellent, with just the right balance given the complex background.

Congratulations on capturing that 'perfect' moment!

[Gerrie van Vuuren]

Thank you for viewing & commenting everyone. It is much appreciated. I like what you have done Akos. Guess I'll have to invest in a post processing course.