Flying Bufflehead (at last!)

[dankearl]

I have tried to get this shot for months and for hours each day the last three days.
My favorite duck and very hard to get in flight.
This is a take off, but it took very good light and 1/4000 to get it and a whole lot of luck at that.

1/4000, f7.1, ISO 800, 600mm (300 w/ 2x tc), D800, Handheld

DSC_3979bp5.jpg

[Arthur Morris]

Hey Dank,

Flight or swimming these birds are a mother.... Love this one a ton. So sharp with a cool running pose and great detail in the wings. Angling towards us is a huge plus as is the light on that green face. My only wish is for more canvas behind the bird to give that splash some more room. I am hoping that you have it.....

Have a great 2013.

[dankearl]

Thanks Arthur,
Here is full frame, cropped to pano.
I did several versions.

DSC_3979ff.jpg

[David N Smith]

Great capture Dan, I don't know of anything I would have done to make it better.

David

[Nick Palmieri]

Congrats on a great capture. Love the feet and splash. Persistence certainly pays off.

[gail bisson]

Wow Dan,
You really nailed this shot , tack sharp and you got the green feathers as well.
I think I would do a pano that included at least 2 or 3 of the splashes.That would still give enough detail to the bird.
just a great shot overall
Gail

[Arthur Morris]

Thanks Dan. I'd have gone something like this.

[Allen Sparks]

Wonderful capture Dan. I can see why you did multiple versions - really like the pano with multiple splashes but Artie's repost is the best for my taste. Congrats on a great image.

[Sidharth Kodikal]

What a way to kick off the year Dan. This is stunning! Awesome pose, sharpness and IQ. Your persistence paid off handsomely.
Wonder what a thinner pano crop with more splashes behind would look like.

[arash_hazeghi]

This is sweet Dan, you nailed it, details, exposure, colors and everything is right on the money!

I like Artie's crop but with the bird slightly higher in the frame

[laurie golden]

Hi Dan,

You must have found a few minutes of light for this shot. I like your original post a lot but also like Artie's version with more splash. Such a difficult bird to get and you even got the wings sharp. You always inspire me to try harder.

[Grace Scalzo]

Simply awesome. Full of energy and motion.

[Jon Swanson]

I like the recrop as well. It gives the bird a little more of a sense of motion seeing his running splashes for the takeoff. And because of the crop (or it could be S/H being run for details on darks) I see a bit of noise in the dark feathers of the primaries on the wing and the feet.

[Robert Holguin]

Wow!!! Dan what a shot.
Absolutley superb shot. Love everything about it...
From light to the splashes.
Very well done.

[Don Nelson]

Killer image, Dan -- the feet position and the wings are outstanding. Way to go! I do like Artie's repost, as is.

[Shawn Zierman]

I actually prefer the OP to the pano crops, (which is pretty much what most people post with this type of
scenario). The OP has more impact imo...in your face, great details....really awesome.
Congrats on this excellent technical image!

[Uri First]

excellent capture, beautifull colors

[Leo Berzins]

Beautifully captured Dan.
Your dedication was well rewarded.
I like the extra splash included in Artie's repost but wish there was a little more space on the right for the Bufflehead to run/fly into.

[Arthur Morris]

The original was simply too boxy for me. At times, when dealing with either splashes or a wake behind the bird, breaking the "rules" with the bird flying or swimming out of the frame can be quite effective.... Good suggestion by Arash.

[Karl Egressy]

Dan, you have a great dynamick image here. Great work.

[Tim King]

Both crops are perfect in their own right. Pano shows the steps leading to flight and the tight one shows fine detail. Big time photos, Dan.

[Randy Stout]

Dan:

As one who has utterly failed to capture worthwhile shots of these little bullets, my strongest congrats on your persistence and result!

If I had to chose just one crop for our size of web presentation, I would go with the original for the greater detail showing on the bird. A real tribute to the D800 and your skill.

On a larger stage, the looser crop would tell the overall story a bit better.

Cheers

Randy

[dankearl]

Thanks everyone for the nice comments.
I have spent a lot time around these squeaky little toy ducks and enjoy every minute!

[David Salem]

Dan, Smokin shot of this elusive little duck. I too have tried to get decent flight shots of this duck to no avail. Just getting them sitting and exposed right is challenging enough. I like the OP with maybe a tiny bit more room on the left. It shows the beautiful details best.
You even got the green on the head to show nicely. Awesome capture and great job workn it hard.

[Satish Ranadive]

Gorgeous image of beautiful bird.
Love the pose with full wings up,raised foot,great lights,lovely water droplets on chest, belly and flash of water.
Very nice composition too.

Regards,
Satish.

[Andrew McLachlan]

Hi Dan, this is very nicely done...I prefer the versions that show multiple splashes as opposed to the original crop in pane #1. These guys are very hard to capture and you nailed a beauty.

[Jonathan Ashton]

Outstanding, maybe you had a little luck but I'm sure you must have considerable skill and patience to get this shot - congratulations what a way to start the New year.

[Ian McHenry]

Congratulations Dan on an excellent BIF image.
I like the pano version and also Artie's crop with Arash's slight modification.
Must say I'm always attracted by the trailing take off wakes of BIF so here is another possibility.
Cheers: Ian Mc