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Ken Watkins
10-06-2010, 02:55 AM
Taken on the shores of Lake Kariba, Matusadona National Perk, Zimbabwe,19th September, 2010.

EOS 1D MkIV

500mm F4 IS hand-held from open game viewing vehicle

F5.6, ISO 800, 1/1000, EV +1.0
Daniel Cadieux
10-06-2010, 05:10 AM
Ken, apart from wanting more room around the subject and a better HA, I'm really liking this image. Sweet BG and a good view of both wings. Could the darks go darker? (I'm only familiar with our Anhingas here in N.A. and comparing to that)
Ken Watkins
10-06-2010, 05:17 AM
Daniel,

Thanks for your comments most of my bird images are not that good but I think I am improving with everybodys help:) I am quite pleased with this.

The only room I had was at the bottom where I did not need it. I agree that slight turn towards me would have helped. As for the colour I am not sure, under normal lighting it would be darker, but it was lit by the setting sun and I quite liked the resultant colours
Daniel Cadieux
10-06-2010, 05:30 AM
Thanks for the additional remarks Ken. After adding back some of that space below it would be easy to also digitally add some canvas above as the BG is relatively smooth to work with (if you are into that type of manipulation).

P.S. I find you've posted some rather nice bird images!!:cool:
Chris Kotze
10-06-2010, 09:57 AM
Super pose and colours well exposed and a lovely BG.
Marina Scarr
10-06-2010, 08:23 PM
What amazing light you have here and the BG is just to die for. I have no problem with the HA here. I would just like to see a bit more room.
Ken Watkins
10-07-2010, 01:05 AM
All of your comments have made me rethink, better still to look at other images from this sighting to see if I have anything better. I chose this for the lighting, but I think I have found what I think a better one, more to the point I remembered that this was actually taken from a drifting boat on Lake Kariba.

I have someting else to post today, so the next African Darter will be delayed a little.

Once again many thanks:cheers:
Jonathan Ashton
10-07-2010, 10:07 AM
Just a tad more room and possibly a little more sharpening on the head/bill, I think one of Artie's Linear contrasts may help or Selective Colour adding 3 Blacks to the Black and 2/3 Blacks to the Whites. Really nice image I hope to get something similar when I go to Gambia in December.