Loon portrait

[Randy Stout]

I had a chance to go north last week and spend a few days with the local loons. Weather was iffy much of the time, so opportunities limited, but still had a great time.

D4 600VR TC1.4 f/6.3 1/1250s ISO 500 Pedestal mounted in the bottom of my little boat, "Loonie Too"


Post: Full frame, cleaned up a few spots in water, selective sharpening.


I had several frames of this scene, and chose this one for the head angle and interesting effect of water over the white breast. The tip of the bill isn't quite as sharp as I would like because of DOF, but overall, this was my favorite frame of the series.

I may find one or two more loons to post.

Advice and comments always appreciated.

Cheers

Randy

[Ian Cassell]

Randy, I'm a fan of your loon images and this one is no exception. The only loons I've seen around here are the human sort and I have no desire to photograph them. Detail is excellent and those water drops are great.

[dankearl]

Full Frame?
I don't know how you get that close, but this is really nice, you could not get much lower.

[Don Railton]

Hi Randy

This is really nice. I love the eye and head colour. I have never seen a loon, not sure they exist in Australia. I am concerned with this one however as i think its sinking..! The body seem very deep in the water, is this usual for Loons?

DON

[christopher galeski]

nice capture,love the color of the water and water drops on the bird,Ithink you must have been swimming at the side of this bird.

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Randy, I really like your Loon images and wish one day I might get to shoot some, they are so attractive with a lot of character.

I love the bow wave being created at the contrasting colours of the plumage and the water droplets on the head. I totally agree with your own critique and I too think a bit more DOF would have been better as the bill is soft and lacks the detail you have in the head which is a real shame? I don't think you have any fears about upping the ISO on the D4 t get a higher SS. Just a thought, but have tried adding a graduate to the BKG, not a Gradient just to darken it a tad more to make the head 'pop' a little?

TFS
Steve

[Bill Dix]

I'm so envious of your loon shots. This is just lovely. Especially in the way it captures the colors and detail on the head, but of course the bow wave is great too. I don't mind that the tip of the bill is slightly oof.

[vishaljadhav]

Wow this one is full frame, great
i love the full setting of this one, the water color and the colours on the loon
I like the details on the neck and the head, the eye for me makes it special for being captured so clean and clear

Not sure why you opted for the ISO 500 on a D4 which restricted the f value, but then its a field call that we make.

[Karl Egressy]

Very nice portrait shot, Randy. Love the fine details and eye contact.

[Randy Stout]

Thanks everyone for the comments! Much appreciated.

Don - because loons spend so much time diving, they have a great ability to adjust their buoyancy, and can ride at almost any level they chose. When feeding young chicks, they are often even lower than this.

Steve & Vishal - Yes, I could have boosted the ISO to allow for more DOF(via smaller f/stop). I am always however seeking the greatist possible dynamic range for these challenging birds, and even the D4 has some gradual drop off in DR as the ISO goes up.

Cheers

Randy

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Randy, welcome back, and no doubt you were going to come back with some killer Loon images, as you have posted here. You seem to bring out the colourful sheen on their heads so well, and the droplets always add that something extra. I like the V shape of the bow wave, matches the shape of the bill.

[gail bisson]

Just beautiful Randy.
I am not bothered at all by the slightly OOF bill tip. Tell the truth, I didn't notice it until you mentioned it.
The bow wave is really nice and love that green BG.
Gail

[Gary Esman]

Randy, excellent as always. What makes it for me is the huge bow wave and the excellent image quality. The reflection in the eye is great. The detail is the striped white feathers on the neck is pretty impressive. Very nice Randy

Gary.

[mohammad reza shahab]

excellent portrait .Very nice green BG & detail.