I'm having such fun going through the archives for portrait shots, I thought I would share this image taken in Svalbard in June 2012 with Dutch photographer Jasper Doest.
We were able to sit quietly on the roadside and photograph the Eiders in their nesting area next to the Husky compound, by the soft light of the midnight sun - image timed at 00:42 am. The birds were very relaxed and confiding - so an opportunity to look for unconventional as well as conventional images.
Presumably, the Eiders nest next to the caged dogs expecting they will ward off predators such as Arctic Fox. Much later in the morning we passed by again to see that this deterrence wasn't working and an Arctic Fox was raiding the nests and taking away the eggs - ignored by the dogs. It wasn't without its hazards, either, as we saw one Eider misjudge his landing, going into the Husky cages where he quickly became a dog's dinner!
Canon EOS 1D MkIV, EF 500 f/4L IS, 25mm Extension tube
1/640 sec @ f/10, ISO 1250
Converted with DPP4, PS5 for Levels and Curves adjustments, Dfine for NR, slight crop for composition and Smart Sharpen
I hope it brings a smile. Your comments and suggestions are most welcome.
I love the idea Gerald! The pattern of the Eider drakes head is so beautiful and this angle makes for a very clean and affecting shot. I like the BG, the soft light and the colors. The light makes exposure a hard matter thought and I think there is a lack of details in the black on the head and bottom whites. Maybe you can extract some more details from the RAW file. I would also consider a vertical crop. Great shot overall, congrats!
Been there, done that :). Both the trip and the concept. Well done. Love the soft tones especially the greens. Tighter as a vertical would work too. a
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Been there, done that :). Both the trip and the concept. Well done. Love the soft tones especially the greens. Tighter as a vertical would work too. a
Thanks Artie - I think! It was your descriptions of your trip that convinced me to go there with Jasper. We had a great time! Off to Ireland with him in May for 6 days!
Hi Gerald great idea of getting the Eider from the back , well seen and executed .
Nice tones and colors with great detail showing up.
I would also vote for a portrait view of this , i would look and try to open up shadows a bit more to get some detail out of the blacks .
Theme: Eider Drake - a different portrait
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Originally Posted by Arthur Morris
