Relaxing Gannet

[shane shacaluga]

Another shot from one of my recent boat trips. The gannets were gorging themselves with the flying-fish and some ate so much they struggled to take off. Here is one such bird we managed to get quite close to

D800e
300f4 + 1.7x TC
f7.1
1/4000
ISO 500

Hand held. Cropped top and bottom for composition. Adjustment levels and a soft light layer to bring out some more details in the whites.

Thanks for you comments

[Marina Scarr]

What a stunning bird against that blue BG!!! The bird really does appear to be basking in the sun!

[Arthur Morris]

Lovely. Nice job on the whites. Wish for a bit less of a head turn and that the pupil were more centered. The blue and white color combo rocks.

[Sandy Witvoet]

Outstanding, Shane! No nits! Well, maybe one little one... would like to see more at the bottom, less on top. WELL DONE!

[Jim Crosswell]

I like the composition and water colour. Nice image Shane.

[shane shacaluga]

Thanks a lot to you all for your comments ;)

[Juan Carlos Vindas]

Wow, that's and awesome bird!
Love the light, it gives a feel of 3D to the image. And agree with Arthur regarding the blue and white combo working so good.

[Satish Ranadive]

Spectacular image of beautiful bird. Wonderful panorama composition.Love the superb details in whites, pops up beautifully over dark BG.

Regards,
Satish.

[arash_hazeghi]

nice exposure and sharp details. I like the dark blue BG. I also wish for a slight less head turn so there was no small shadow on the iris.