In New Zealand, Cormorants are known as Shags and the breeding colony at Sulphut Point on Lake Rotorua are in full swing with some chicks already quite large. While not the most attractive birds they make interesting subjects at this time of year. This adult had just fed 3 chicks and was heading off on the next mission to capture fish. I like the textures in the damp plumage and detail in a full res file is amazing - this is almost full frame with only a narrow crop from left and top.
Nikon D800
Nikon 500 VR
ISO 500 1/3200s f5.6 manual exposure HH
Greetings. Interesting flight shot. Water detailing the feathers is pretty cool. I see dust bunnies (or something) just below the tail. I'd be inclined to darken the whites in the bg bottom as it is a bit distracting. Thanks for posting.
Hi Tony - Great shot with nice IQ on the main part of the bird. I do like the clean BG and the color gradient looks nice to me. I would like some more DOF to get the tail in focus; minor nit.
TFS
Hennie
Nice flight pose, and I really like the texture on the featehrs along the neck and breast. Perhaps a bit dark on the near wing but a tough subject dynamic range-wise. Good comp too.
Hi Tony, I like the flight pose, and you have exposed him nicely, as cormorants are always difficult to expose with their combination of blacks and whites. The feather detail shows up well, and the hint of clouds breaks up the sky nicely.
Little Shag (Cormorant)
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