This adult loon was imaged last summer, taking off from the lake where his chick and spouse remained. One of the adults often leave this lake between 7:30-9:00 AM to go to the nearby , much larger lake, to fish and perhaps socialize. The male has brought back fish for the chick on several occasions. Very rarely, both adults will be gone at the same time, with the chick tugged in a secluded spot, often almost impossible to find, even with binoculars and an intimate knowledge of the hiding spots on that lake. I have learned that when the chick all of a sudden disappears, that means that one or both of the parents might be leaving for a while. This becomes more common as the chick gets older.
D500 600VR f/7.1, 1/1250s, ISO 500
Post: the original frame did cut the splash off as shown on right, and the bird was closer to the left edge. Added some canvas to the left, and tried a version with the splash cropped a bit on right, but came back to this version. Modest crop from below to get the bird off the centerline vertically.
I lightened the shadows on the front of the face a bit.
Advice and comments always appreciated. Esp. about the crop in this image.
It is always a nice problem when you are too close to one of these iconic birds. I think you did great with what you had to work with here. Love the wing position and the splash but agree that in a perfect world that it would be better to have a touch more room on the right.
Hi Randy, I like the low perspective, together with the take off pose with the forward wing position. Nice and sharp on the head where it counts, and the upper BG is sweet. I feel your pano crop works well to suit the sleek take off pose.
Leaving the lake - exit stage left
Reply With Quote
