Kildeer are relatively common at the Bosque, but they don't usually let you get close. This one spent a good 20 minutes foraging around the water's edge while we were within 15 or 20 feet of it. He even waited for the good light before he flew! This shot would not have been possible last year because of overgrowth of vegetation around the water. The refuge is in great shape this year though.
Canon 1D Mark IV, 600mm II + 1.4x III, f/6.3, 1/2000, ISO 400, manual exposure, hand held
Wonderful warm light. The background water has a dreamy quality to it.
Subject looks excellent, though a slight body angle to the bird's left, to put
it more in line with the light axis, would have been even better imo.
Shooting angle is perfect, with a nice sliver of fg still falling within the zone
of focus by the bird's feet.
Hi Doug, the light certainly is sweet, which in turn has brought out lovely warm colours. Good feather detail defined nicely, sharp, and I do like the colour of the water. The browns and blues go well together.
Stuart took the words right out of my mouth .. ehhh hand. :) Stunning image. Love the warm colors and I think the blue bg compliments the killdeer wonderfully.
Nice elegant portrait, Doug. The sweet light was an epiphany for me as we don't have it in Costa Rica; you took good advantage of it here. Just love how this light angle brings out texture and feather detail. I had fun photographing this guy too and didn't even realize what a great opportunity this was. Kind of like when you get excited at a toucan in Costa Rica, and I'm like, yawn :-)
Superb image quality Doug especially considering a hand-held 600mm with 1.4x. And I like the warm tones of the plumage beautifully complimented by the soft blue tones of the water.
Quality Time With a Kildeer at BdA
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