Under My Wing

The Royal Tern chicks are some of the toughest to photograph b/c the adults are so protective of their young. Additionally, they act as a group in protecting their young at the colony which makes it more difficult for them to be predated but also more difficult to isolate and photograph them. The adults will round up a large number of chicks and surround them before moving as a group from one part of the beach to another. It's a group effort. Once in a while, you get lucky with a straggler or in this case with an adult and chick together, but it takes luck and patience. This image is two years old and recently caught my eye b/c of its intimacy. This entire colony was lost this year due to TS Debby.

Canon 1D3,Canon 400DO & 1.4 @ 560mm
F5.6, 1/1250sec, ISO 640, manual mode
Handheld on my belly in the sand

C & C always welcomed and much appreciated.

Marina Scarr
www.marinascarrphotography.com

Hi Marina,

It's really touching capture. I would say, There's nothing like a mama-hug and I can see this in your image.
Really nice to know that they work in group instead of harming each others young ones like Common Terns do.
You have done excellent job on isolating and getting such nice interaction image.

- Maya

Wonderful moment captured here! Nice comp and techs look great as usual!

Might just be the small size but wishing for more of a catch light in the adult.
Looks like you might have a natural one there that you could bring out a bit more with some selective lightening.

Very interesting information about the royal tern colonies.

Wonderful interaction captured Marina. I love the way the baby is looking up at the parent, whose wing looks like it's hugging the juvenile. I like the tight framing too. Only wish for a little more life in the eye of the parent.

Hi Marina, love the 'loving' look of the chick, together with folded wing of mom. They both stand out nicely against the foliage BG.

As others have mentioned, lovely image Marina! really like the embrace and tight framing with this shot as well as the chick looking up to the parent. I also wish for a little more light/catch light in the parents eye. Thanks for sharing!

Hi Marina,
I can see why you like this image.
I like how the chick is looking up at the parent and the wing " hugging" the chick.
I love the curve of the neck and raised crest as well. I like the tight comp also.
I find the parents' eye problematic though- looks "dead". I would try lightening the eye or adding a catchlight.
I would also clean up that white spot on upper mandible of parents' beak,
Gail

A stretch: the parent's eye deadened, the child's brimming with life? Such is nature's way and in this case humans are exactly the same...but seriously folks, what a lovely look at tern life. So much to enjoy here. I would also add a catchlight to the big tern's deadeye or else go with the pseudo-poetry, as suggested by y.t. above

excellent interaction Marina! maybe you can add a small catch light for the parent? I thin you can recover more detail in both whites and blacks as well.

TFS, very sweet!

Thank you Mike for pointing out the natural light already in the adult's eye which could be brought out. I think this version is quite an improvement.

I agree, that is a nice improvement. Good work!

Lovely image! The repost is a great improvement!

very nice Marina,repost is the one.

I do think you did great on your repost, Marina. It's a real winner, this image. The enfolding wing, the rapt look of the chick gazing up at the parent, its all pretty heartwarming. Love your comp. thanks for the fascinating behavior info.

Now I am REALLY jealous. Oh This is so darn sweet with great intimate interaction. I just love it. I hope to get one just like it or better some day Heee! :bg3:
My initial thought was too bad the adults eye is so dark with no light... great save girl.

Marina:
This is gorgeous image of most beautiful interaction of mom and chick, I had ever seen.
Love the the way chick is standing and his expression of affection/love for mom.

Regards,
Satish.