Tough to follow....

Steve's remarkably fabulous loon image below so I will not try.

This Magnificent Frigatebird was photographed on my Galapagos trip from a panga (Zodiac) in Elizabeth Bay. As we were pulling away from a small rocky island I noticed this and another frigatebird begin to swoop down and grab bits of fish that were laying on the rocks near a young sea-lion. Our driver held the panga in perfect position for about 30 minutes. A good time was had by all.

Canon 70-200mm handheld at 85 mm with the EOS 40 D. ISO 640. Evaluative metering +1 2/3 stops off the sky set manually: 1/1250 sec. at f/5.6. No crop.

Don't be shy; all comments welcome.

Pose: OUTSTANDING
Composition: GREAT
Exposure: Looks great (although I am looking at it in a laptop)
BG: Beautiful!
Head Angle: Perfect to me.

Overall.. a magnificent shot of a megnificent bird that I would love to have the oportunity to photograph some day!
Congratulations!

This is great Artie. I particularly like the white head's contrast against the rest of the plumage. A dark head would not have been so nice. But you already know that. Thanks for sharing. :)

Hi Artie,
This is a beautiful image. My only comment would be to wonder if it would be possible to bring out a little more detail in the wing on the right of the image.
Regards, Nicki

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Originally Posted by Ákos Lumnitzer

This is great Artie. I particularly like the white head's contrast against the rest of the plumage. A dark head would not have been so nice. But you already know that. Thanks for sharing. :)

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The white head against the dark far wing is exactly why this one was my favorite. :) And thanks BTW to all for commenting.

Hi Artie. Thanks for the plug above. These birds are amazing fliers and I really like the composition here - especially for full frame. I agree that the white head against the dark background really makes this image. The exposure is great - as usual. It sounds like you and your group had a another wonderful trip and I look forward to more of your images.

Hello Artie,

Love the image. And, the white head within the wing really puts it over the top :)

FYI- I see a slight red cast. often not easily recognized. If you duplicate the layer (Ctrl J), Filter > Blur >Average you can often see casts not clearly visible unless you have a white or neutral reference nearby for comparison.

For all- Nik Color Effex Pro 3.0 has a White/Color neutralizer that ROCKS!!!! Highly recommended. You can download a free 15 day trial. http://www.niksoftware.com/colorefexpro/usa/entry.php

Best Amigo,

Chas

Great find, pose and the BG is not so bad either. I agree regarding lowering the color temperature a few degrees. I would love to see this species sometime.

Hi Artie,
I really like the comp on this one. I also like the subtlety of the BG clouds.
Steve

I like the pose and the head against the dark wing but I wish to see more details under the wings.

Wonderful flight pose and the head against the dark wing really makes this image a cut above. Just gorgeous !!! I can certianly see why it was one of your favorities Artie. Great work !!!!

I think my favorite thing about this image is the angles of the wings and tail vs head. All look like they are going in different directions but I am sure he knows what he's doing. A cool pose frozen in time.

Nice positioning on the bird and getting the head against the wing makes that stand out. Against the sky would not be nearly as nice.

If I may, I just want to say again how much I like this shot, specially for the great pose, it is simply beautifuL, I am just amazed... :)

Love it Artie! Perfect position of the head relative to the wing, along with great wing and tail spread make for an outstanding high-key image.

Can one still do something to lighten the eye. Regards loukie

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Charles Glatzer

Hello Artie, Love the image. And, the white head within the wing really puts it over the top :)

FYI- I see a slight red cast. often not easily recognized. If you duplicate the layer (Ctrl J), Filter > Blur >Average you can often see casts not clearly visible unless you have a white or neutral reference nearby for comparison.

For all- Nik Color Effex Pro 3.0 has a White/Color neutralizer that ROCKS!!!! Highly recommended. You can download a free 15 day trial. http://www.niksoftware.com/colorefexpro/usa/entry.php

Best Amigo, Chas

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Thanks for noticing the color cast buddy. I fixed it in Photoshop quickly with the Duplicate/Blur Average/Curves trick that Robert O'toole taught me. (I like to keep things simple and avoid plug-ins and the like.)

for Lookie, I lightened the eye even more.

Your repost is 100% more effective I think. :) Great tips, thanks.

WOW! Would love to wake up looking at this image everyday!