I went to my favourite location yesterday to stock up with more kingfisher images - Pilanesberg National Park. Although this is africa, the temperature was -4 deg C, but not as cold as the guys that went out for the Great grey owls. The cold didnt stop this little jewel from fishing. He kept diving in and out of the water from this perch. These guys are extremely fast for both take offs and perching. In this, I worked out, if I pre focussed on the top of the perch, keep my eye in the viewfinder, and every time I heard the splash, I would fire off a burst, and he would hopefully fly into the frame. This species is also only very small 4 - 5 inches in height, and unfortunately he wasnt up close. This is not a large crop, but will experiment with other images to see how far I can go with regards to cropping tighter. The BG is water.
Canon 1D Mark IV
Canon 400mm F2.8 + 1.4 tc 560mm ( loaned for the morning )
1/3200
F/5.6
ISO 800
Exp comp + 0.33
Rested on side of walkway
06-17-2013, 01:54 AM
Greg Oakley
This is awesome Stuart - love it! Great timing and the comp works really well IMO. The bird small in frame works because of it's striking colours,
Cheers, Greg
06-17-2013, 04:17 AM
vishaljadhav
Great timing Stuart, lovely image
the colors are really striking, i would love to see this kf some day
06-17-2013, 06:03 AM
Satish Ranadive
Very nice ,clean,super sharp image, Stuart Sir.
Because of size of the perch,one can imagine the size of kingfisher.
Love the landing pose,beautiful colors,wonderful backdrop and composition.
Regards,
Satish.
06-17-2013, 07:01 AM
Grace Scalzo
One might think that a big perch for a small bird might be awkward, but it works perfectly here to give a sense of perspective. Love the landing pose and that gray-blue background. Nicely done!
06-17-2013, 07:34 AM
Girish Prahalad
excellent freeze. love the outstretched legs. good choice of keeping the bird small in the frame
06-17-2013, 09:17 AM
Gabriela Plesea
What a beauty, Stu! From composition to colors to sharpness! Great BG, the bird and perch really stand out!
Kind regards,
06-17-2013, 09:22 AM
Marina Scarr
What a super capture, Stuart, and I love that you have left the bird small in the frame.
06-17-2013, 12:17 PM
Stu Bowie
Thanks a stack for the kind words and feedback everyone.
06-17-2013, 09:55 PM
David Salem
Great color on this one Stuart. I agree that the small in frame works so well here because the bird is so colorful. Really pops off the screen for how small it is. I like the perch and the color of the water. Very nice shot!
06-18-2013, 02:57 PM
Robert Holguin
Wonderful shot.
I really like the comp here.
Very nice light, terrific pose, sharp, and great perch.
Very well done.
