The Light-mantled Sooty Albatross is considered by many people to be the most beautiful of the albatross species. The tear-drop shaped body, swept back wings, pastel tones, white line on the bill and white eye-ring form a heavenly design. The propensity of pairs to perform close synchronized manoeuvres adds to their endearment. I had the privilege of seeing birds on their carefully constructed mud nests, lined with sea-weed, on the cliffs of Enderby Is. The shot was taken on Campbell Is in the NZ sub-Antarctic on 8 January 2014.
Canon 5DIII + 300 mm f/2.8L II + 2x III extender, hand-held.
Av priority, f/7.1, 1/2000 sec, ISO 800.
Post processing in DPP: crop, DLO, USM, RAW - jpeg. PS Elements: adjust shad/h'lights, sharpen bird, background NR, downsize to output jpeg, USM.