Horned Grebe

[Paul Kusmin]

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2712/4289168741_7d9f601cdd_o.jpg

Finally got a break in the weather on the weekend and i headed out to a reliable spot for grebe and came across this bird fishing close to shore.
I got an almost identical shot a year before at the same spot but i like to think this shot is an improvement, one can learn a lot in a year (especially here:)).

Exposure: 1/2500 sec
Aperture: f/8.0
Focal Length: 500 mm
ISO Speed: 400
Exposure Bias: -2/3 EV
Flash: No Flash

Cheers!

[Kiran Poonacha]

just wished for a bit more eye contact, still loved the light, details and the worm adds well to this..

[Mark Dumbleton]

Love the light here. Head angle slightly away, and a bit of noise on the BG. Looking at the ISO speed im sure this noise is caused by sharpening. What camera have you used here?

[arash_hazeghi]

What is it eating? Like the low angle and details, I would run some NR too.

[Paul Kusmin]

Hi, i am using D300, i probably should have run NR on BG, it looks more noticeable now that i look at it closer.
I think it's eating some type of eel-like fish.

[Daniel Cadieux]

In addition to the previous comments I would add that the image needs CW rotation as the bird appears to be swimming upwards. Neat prey item!

[DonaldNel]

Fish is likely pipefish sp. -- common in the eelgrass beds of the bays in Pacific Northwest.

[Paul Kusmin]

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2749/4291288031_79834e2c50_o.jpg

I started from scratch again with this shot.
The noise in BG was in original shot, ISO 400 does give me grain on occasion, i have found but Noise Ninja helps.
I have rotated based on Daniel's sharp eye and lightened the image overall a bit as well, too much perhaps?

Thanks!