Southern Giant-petrel in your face

[Ian Wilson]

There are no vultures, condors or polar bears in the Antarctic but the niche of top scavenger is filled by the giant-petrel. With a wingspan of up to 2.1 m, it is the size of a small albatross to which family it is closely related. Giant-petrels are always in attendance at seal and penguin colonies and range widely over the Southern Ocean. This fellow got very big very quickly and overfilled my frame. I was impressed by the speckled eye and massive bill. Rather than put it aside, I have tried to develop the image as an unorthodox portrait. Unfortunately, the width is full frame and I have added some canvas to the bottom to make it 4:3 format. Does it 'work' or should I consign it to the dustbin? Thanks for looking, your comments and advice much appreciated.
Canon 5DIII + 300 mm f/2.8L II + 2x III extender, hand-held.
Av priority, f/6.3, 1/3200 sec, ISO 1250, EC +2/3 EV.
Processed in DPP: adjust brightness (-0.5), shad/h'lights, USM, RAW-TIFF. PS Elements: add canvas to bottom, downsize, USM.

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Ian, well you certainly managed focus in the right area - the detail around the head and bill stand out nicely, and nice and sharp too. Adding to the bottom has helped, and you have admitted he came in too fast for you, so I would leave the comp as is, as you have captured the main part of the Petrel. If this was captured out in the ocean, what is the green BG?

[Tobie Schalkwyk]

Definitely works for me, Ian! I like the close crop too because without it one would not really have been in a position to appreciate the perfect focus on / sharpness of the facial area. Great pic, well done!

[Daniel Cadieux]

Very in-your-face with tons of nice details. Good green BG. I do wish you had more room at right though, but I understand you had a though situation here. You could experiment by cropping tighter...I'm sure the IQ can handle it.

[Ian Wilson]

Hi Ian, well you certainly managed focus in the right area - the detail around the head and bill stand out nicely, and nice and sharp too. Adding to the bottom has helped, and you have admitted he came in too fast for you, so I would leave the comp as is, as you have captured the main part of the Petrel. If this was captured out in the ocean, what is the green BG?

Sorry, I overlooked giving the details for the location. The shot was taken on Macquarie Is, Australian sub-Antarctic, from the observation platform at The Isthmus, 6 January 2014. The oof green background is a nearby hillside. Cheers, Ian.

[Binu John]

Very nice shot with a lot of details, Ian! You nailed the focus! Well done!

[Ian Wilson]

Thank you Stuart, Tobie, Daniel and Binu for your feedback on this one. It is a difficult image to deal with - I have tried some closer crops as suggested by Daniel but I think it is better full frame. Fortunately, it is a relatively common bird in the Southern Ocean and I have other nice shots of the bird in flight and sitting on the water so no tears on that score. I appreciate very much your advice and encouragement. Regards, Ian