Great crested grebe - courtship display

[Jonathan Ashton]

Canon 7D Canon 500mm f4 L IS & tripod, ISO 640 -0.3 1/1000 sec f5

All C & C welcome.

[Cheryl Arena Molennor]

Jonathan you are so lucky to see these amazingly cool characters. Another great action shot. Sure a better HA would have been great but this is still so cool. I like the algae on the left one.

[Doug Brown]

<embed id="application/x-exifeverywhere" type="application/x-exifeverywhere" width="0" height="0">Cool behavior, excellent exposure, and great sharpness. Love the black leaf. It looks like it might need a little CW rotation. Eye contact would have taken this one over the top.

[laurie golden]

Just beautiful, and I love the leaf. You did a great job capturing the action. I hope to see these some day - you are lucky.

[Arthur Morris]

Wicked. The dead lead and the raised crests are too, too cool.

[Jack Breakfast]

If you need someone else to tell you how great this one is, I will: HUZZAH and VERY WELL DONE. These grebes are aces alright!

[gail bisson]

Amazing! I actually love the 2 head positions because it shows front and back. Love the "just flung" look on the right bird's crest. I love this shot and have no nits,
Gail

[Melissa Groo]

What a magical image, Jonathan, I just love it. The pose of the one on the right, the leaf that looks like anuptial offering or decoration on the left one, and that theatrical lighting. Too too cool!

[Tom Rambaut]

I envy you location and you seeing and having the chance to photograph this behaviour. I love the low angle and would try a 1.4 TC with the 500, if you have one?

[Jonathan Ashton]

Thanks very much everyone for the C&C, please you liked it, I will post some more. As the grebes were moving around the small lake I was adding and removing the 1.4TC. I have been back twice since this visit but they have moved out out onto the much larger lake, but as Arnie said "I will be back". There are plenty of nesting opportunities for the grebes so I think they will be back, then before I know it there will be chicks to photograph.
I think I made this one a tad brighter than the previous grebe shot. I have realised that with it being so dull over here, the ambient light in my study is also low and this can lead to me posting less bright images than might normally be the case.

[Rod Warnock]

Simply superb ! Jonathon!! Particularly like the cohesive nature of the position of each bird. Great catpure for sure.
Best regards
Rod Warnock

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hey Johnathan,
Great moment captured and must have been a treat to see!

[arash_hazeghi]

nice my preference is the previous image you posted where both had great HA. I would take that one and process it like this and you will have a winner.

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Jon, excellent timing to capture the opposite HA's, and the central placement works well. Both tack sharp, and I do like that BG, together with the single droplet falling between them. I agree a touch of rotation is needed. :w3 Another happy bunny then. :w3

[Kaustubh Deshpande]

excellent poses. very good shot that captures the behavior. shooting angle is perfect. loved the plumage. must have been exciting.

[Robert Rommel]

Great behavior here! The birds and details are fantastic! I like the processing and am fine with the head positions on these. I agree that it could use a little rotation and perhaps the pair slightly to the left in the frame. Awesome display!