Baby Woodstork

[Blake Shadle]

I'm not sure this should come with a cuteness alert :) This image was made this past Saturday while out on the Hooptie Duex at one of our freshwater rookeries. What an experience! The weather was odd, and made for some odd lighting situations.

I made a comment on one of Maxis' images about rolling your zone of focus. I really wish I had listened to my own advice here and gotten both the foreground foliage and my subject in sharp focus.

Small piece of foliage removed from left side of frame.

Shooting Solution
Camera: Nikon D300
Lens: Nikon 600mm f/4
Manual Exposure: 1/1250 @ f/6.3, ISO 400
Wimberley II head on Gitzo legs, image made from boat

Thanks for looking!

Comments welcome and much appreciated :)

[Alfred Forns]

So cute its beyond words !!!! Can't think of a better pose for the youngster !!! Love the light conditions !!!! Big Congrats !!!

[Daniel Cadieux]

Very cute indeed - one happy looking youngster!!, and I like the parent standing guard behind. I really don't mind the OOF foliage here.

[Rich Ikerd]

What a cutie!! I like that you included mom (or dad) in the background. Provides a nice backdrop to the new addition.

[Arthur Morris]

Love the sharpness and the juxtaposition. Would you have tried to combine the two images, one with the sharp baby, one with sharp foreground leaves??? From a (moving) boat, I am not sure if that would work unless your Dad had set the anchor...

[Blake Shadle]

Love the sharpness and the juxtaposition. Would you have tried to combine the two images, one with the sharp baby, one with sharp foreground leaves??? From a (moving) boat, I am not sure if that would work unless your Dad had set the anchor...

Do it all in one image :D Bump my ISO up to 800, stop down to f/16, focus on the foreground (DOF is 2/3 trailing) and make the image. But now that I think about it, f/16 probably wouldn't be enough DOF at 600mm... hmmm... oh well!

[Arthur Morris]

Furthermore, d-o-f with super telephotos is not 2/3 trailing, it is very close to 50-50 in front and in back. Check out any d-o-f chart (there is a link to a great one in the Bulletin Archives) and you can verify that. E.J taught me that one. And yes, d-of even at f/16 might not be enough. I like it as is.

[Blake Shadle]

Thanks, I found the bulletin. For anyone else who might be interested, here's the BAA Bulletin that talks about Depth of Field: http://www.birdsasart.com/bn241.htm

[Philip Lombard]

Blake outstanding, I like it as is, super sharp.

[Arthur Morris]

Thanks, I found the bulletin. For anyone else who might be interested, here's the BAA Bulletin that talks about Depth of Field: http://www.birdsasart.com/bn241.htm

Blakie-Boy, You are a good man.

[Tim Cee]

Great looking youngster. Talk about a face only mom could love. I also found the BAA article facinating reading/learning. Thanks for the image and the alert Blake.

[Maxis Gamez]

Hey Blake,

I see where you are coming from. I must say that the vegetation on this one is a lot more then mine but the subject is soooo cute that it does not matter. Adding the parent in the BG is a huge plus.

Some times we have to be happy with what we get!

Keep up the good work!