Windswept Gannet

[Mike Poole]

I had a last minute 'free afternoon' given to me on Sunday, so a quick check of the weather forecast showed Bempton Cliffs in the North East of England to be good, so I took the journey up there for the evening sun. The place is a major Gannet colony, so is teeming with visitors, but they don't ten to stray far, so I walked about 2 miles and had my own little colony all to myself - bliss!

I got a couple I liked so apologies in advance if you're not a Gannet fan - they may pop up here over the next week or 2!

Canon 5d3
500mm f4 is
ISO 800
1/2500th f8.

A couple of white waves cloned out of the blue , but otherwise not too much on the PP front

Mike

[Isaac Grant]

I love the way this shot is composed. I see so few shots of Gannets sitting in the grass. They are always on a cliff or over the ocean. Refreshing to see this. Whites look great as well as the details. A real winner to me.

[William Dickson]

Amazing Mike. Great POV, pose and the nesting material takes it up a notch. Very nice.

Isn't it just great when you get peace to photograph these beautiful birds

Will

[Marina Scarr]

Okay, so I LOVE this image. The way the feather is rippled on the gannet's neck adds so much interest and it just pops against that dark BG. Did the white waves really detract from the image? Love seeing the bird's pose as well with the nesting material. I would love to have the opportunity to photograph these birds!!!

[christopher galeski]

Loverly image Mike,good IQ,the pose and nesting material magic,well done.

[Daniel Cadieux]

The windy look is very apparent, and makes for lots of interest. Good pose form the gannet. I like the grassy setting. Nicely done...keep those gannets coming :-)

[keith mitchell]

Mike your exposure on the whites of this bird look spot on,beak full of nest material sets the job off very nicely,great job.

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Mike, love the eye level perspective, together with the HA of the Gannet showing off the nesting material. The light looks exquisite, overall well exposed, and he certainly does pop against the darker BG. A two mile walk well used.

I will be visiting a Gannet Colony at the end of the year in the Cape, as I dont have a single image of them, let alone having seen them first hand.

[Mike Poole]

Okay, so I LOVE this image. The way the feather is rippled on the gannet's neck adds so much interest and it just pops against that dark BG. Did the white waves really detract from the image? Love seeing the bird's pose as well with the nesting material. I would love to have the opportunity to photograph these birds!!!

Hi Marina, thanks for stopping by, comments always appreciated.

There were a couple of white 'blobs' that I felt detracted from the image, and with the feedback I've had on BPN over the last couple of years I thought it would be picked up on straight away. I normally like BG interest if I can get it, so maybe just toning them down would be an idea. I'll take a look.

Mike

[Mike Poole]

Hi Mike, love the eye level perspective, together with the HA of the Gannet showing off the nesting material. The light looks exquisite, overall well exposed, and he certainly does pop against the darker BG. A two mile walk well used.

I will be visiting a Gannet Colony at the end of the year in the Cape, as I dont have a single image of them, let alone having seen them first hand.

Cheers Stu. We all have our favourite species, but to me these are so elegant and beautifully coloured I can't resist a trip to them when the forecast is good. It's 2 1/2 hours either way for me but I don't begrudge it at all. A lot depends on the wind direction for the flight shot as they hover into the wind when landing - this day wasn't the best, although I do have one or two shots where for some reason the angle changed and they faced me. I'm sure you'll love your time with them.

Mike

[Glenn Conlan]

I wish we had these near us, this is a beautiful image. The low perspective, the dark Bg and the excellent exposure control makes this a top ranked capture, well done

[annmpacheco]

Wow, gorgeous! more gannets please!