Bonaventure Island Gannet Colony Nirvana

[annmpacheco]

Signed on to learn and shoot with John Chardine this last weekend. First time using flash and better beamer. Wow, what a combo: 100,000 gannets and top notch instruction. Thank you John.
7D, lens 100-400, lens 100mm, ISO 400, f6.3, and 1/2000 SS. With flash/BB. Almost full frame. PS5

[Kerry Perkins]

Ann, what a great opportunity for you! The flash and BB are indeed a great combination and can help a lot of images regardless of ambient lighting conditions. Good job with this one. The brightest peaks are right on the edge of being clipped - could probably have gone with f/8 for this one. Nice action captured! I would probably evict the branch in the lower right area.

[Cody Covey]

Amazing job keeping the whites from being blown. Looks like light was a bit harsh is spots but you handled it well!

[Rachel Hollander]

Ann - great pose and I love the gannet directly below looking up with mouth open. Light nicely handled and some good advice above. I would evict smudge and dust spot near the top (maybe less than a half inch down), dust spot is above the gannet's right wing and smudge is above and a little to the right of the head. There's also what may be an oof bill at the back of the flock, a little to the left of center that I would also consider getting rid of.

TFS,
Rachel

[Cheryl Slechta]

Ann, what a great opportunity! Beautiful image. I'd agree with evicting the branch and the oof bill? to the left of center.:S3:

[Bob Miller]

Cheryl...nice catch and well handled! Lots of good advice already given but i do strongly recommend getting rid of the branch to the rhs

[John Chardine]

Very nice Ann! It took me a long time to get an image like this. Very well done on the framing in camera. The important part IMO is the birds below which pin the bird coming it and give it a very important context. Love the bird looking up! I know that stick well but it's attached to a large dead tree and there's nothing to be done in the field! As Kerry suggests, it could be removed in post-processing.

[carole wiley]

Great job Ann! I love the comp, with all the birds at the bottom, they give the image context. Good job handling the light here, it can really be a challenge. I love the bird below with the open bill.