Common Tern with its catch

[Simon Wantling]

Hi all. With the great weather we have here in the UK, I set myself the challenge of trying to photograph Common Terns in flight and the moment they catch fish. I find these very difficult especially to get the eye detail etc. Its been great practice for me and I've learned a lot with the focusing on the 7D. Anyway, here's one from the hundreds I still have to look through. I know it's not perfect, but I liked the fish angle and the pose from the tern. I'm hoping for better from the batch that I've still to look through. The light was fading when I took this.

7D, 500mm, 1/1250, f6.3, ISO800, manual mode, AWB. Processed in LR4 and PS CC.

[Diane Miller]

Wonderful with the fish! The blurred wingtips are very artistic, giving a sense of speed.

[Bruce Spell]

Simon, good catch (pun intended) on this shot. As Diane said, the fish adds much interest and the blurred wing tips give the sense of motion. I may be in the minority, but I'd prefer to see this with the wings up as opposed to down (just my preference). Still, you've definitely shown some skill with this capture!

[Karl Egressy]

The head, beak, body and tail look sharp but the wings lack details. It is still a very good shot as it is sharp where it counts.
Also, I like the shooting angle.

[Jeannean Ryman]

Nice capture Simon. The fish is the "plus" in this shot. I always hope for that, but sometimes I can't really tell what they have in their mouth. In your capture, it's very clear. Well done.

[arash_hazeghi]

very nice dynamic pose, I like that we can see the fish's eye and wing position is not bad but I wish the IQ was better.