Kingfisher

[dennis greenwood]

Taken on my local river not far from were i live ,the window of oportunity is few and far between in trying for shots and is usualy pot luck if the bird lands on the perch i set up at the right time.
The key (imho) in being prepared for the shot is sound with the kingfisher,that is if the river is pretty quiet at the time ,its very easy to miss the bird land as i can only see in one direction and the bird can come in from all directions ,and i have found its always the slightest movement that can spook the bird ,you can get away with some noise but a slight twist of the lens on he is off.
Canon 1d mkiv 500mm f4 at f5.6 iso 800 +1/3 ev 1/800 sec ....This is not a workshop image or a baited bird ,totaly wild and free and just a perch and a portable chair hide (and plent of hours waiting) used by myself

[Joseph Przybyla]

I'd say you nailed it. Beautiful bird, nicely shown. Thank you for sharing, Dennis.

[Colin Driscoll]

Dennis, you were well rewarded for all that effort, top exposure, position and catch.

[Jonathan Ashton]

Lovely shot Dennis, I would suggest lifting the birds plumage a little or perhaps reducing contrast. I think the bird is just a tad underexposed.

[Ian McLachlan]

That has to be nigh on perfect .I like the brilliant colours but the soft light.

[Randy Stout]

Dennis:

Despite trying, I have had zero luck over the years with kingfishers, so admire the shot, and of course the lovely colors of this species. Curved perch with some detail is effective, soft background nice.

On my monitor the brightness appears about right, but I do tend to prefer images slightly darker than some folks. Jon has a good point however, and I might try a slightly brighter version.

I am glad you were rewarded for your efforts!

Randy

[Richard Flack]

Stunning image Dennis!

[Mike Hitchen]

A great image, Dennis and the saturation of the colours really shows it to best effect.
It looks like the kingfishers won't be appearing round my way this year so I will have to do a bit of hunting.

[Isaac Grant]

If your kingfisher is anywhere near as skittish as ours then my hat is off to you. They are impossible to approach and get a quality shot of. All of the best close ups are from a blind in the US. You have a real quality shot here. Details, prey item, perch, background are all great. I would try and dodge some of the shadow on the perch as to me it takes my eye a bit from such an excellent bird. Very well done.

[William Dickson]

Well done Dennis. Great looking shot. Nice detail and a good pose with the fish. I would brighten it up just a little. Nice shot mate.

Will

[Jim Crosswell]

Beautiful image Dennis. I like the pose, catch, BG, composition and colourful KF.

[Glenn Conlan]

Well done Dennis, everything spot on