Not Enough Already...

[Arthur Morris]

When I get in a fabuous photographic situation I imagine an artist locked in a huge warehouse with 100s of blank canvases and an unlimted supply of paints and brushes... This tight head portrait of a Northern Gannet was created on Bonaventure Island in northern Quebec with the 400mm f/4 IS DO lens, the 2X II TC, a 25mm Extension tube, and the EOS 1D-Mark III on a Mongoose M3.5 atop the Gitzo 3530 LS tripod. ISO 400 in cloudy (very) bright conditions: Evaulative Metering +1 stop: 1/320 sec. at f/11. Fill flash at -1 stop with a Better Beamer.

I have loved the quality of the MIII files since the day I got my hands on one.

Don't be shy; all comments welcome.

[Axel Hildebrandt]

Great exposure control, details, colors and composition. Thanks for sharing the specific techs. I'm debating if I would remove the catchlight. This really makes me want to go there sometime.

[john crookes]

I love the soft blue pastels of the eye caught here and the hypnotic effect of the look.
I do notice a halo on the underside of the bill and neck but just slight
John

http://johncrookes.zenfolio.com/

[Sharna Lee]

arthur,
This image is awesome. The head detail is so sharp I feel as if I could reach over and touch this birds head. Gorgeous!!!
I love looking at your photo's and I never tire of them. You have been an inspiration to me and I appreciate that the most.
Thanks for all you do.

Sharna

[Dave Phillips]

super detail in the portrait....best of all it is not oversharpened.
very fine sir

[david cramer]

A very nice image. Subtle colors and shades and just the right amount of sharpness and contrast. I'd vote for removing the catchlight.

[Arthur Morris]

What does everyone have against catchlights? I have never removed the catchlght from a single flash. Am I missing something?

Respectfully asked.

[Axel Hildebrandt]

What does everyone have against catchlights? I have never removed the catchlght from a single flash. Am I missing something?

Respectfully asked.

In my case it is the eye of this species. If it were a 'regular' shorebird eye, black or brown/black I would definitely leave it. Since the eye of gannets look so spectacular on its own I think it doesn't need it. I don't find it distracting, it's really an open question.

[Doug Brown]

Simply gorgeous feather detail, and a terrific exposure. I'm in the 'blown away with the Mark III image quality' camp too. Sign me up for next year!

[Judy Lynn Malloch]

Artie you beat me to it. I personally really like the catchlight and feel it would not have nearly the same impact as it does with it. I love this image and especially because the details of the eye are so visible as well as the magnificent color. It was most interesting and helpful reading all the info on how you captured this image. Many thanks Artie for sharing your expertise with us.

[Jody Melanson]

I like the catchlight. If I get two, (one from the Sun and one from the flash) I will clone out the flash and leave the natural catchlight. I think a catchlight makes the eye come "alive".

Great detail in this Artie! Interesting the crack in the upper beak near the head.

[Arthur Morris]

#1: The "crack" in the beak is actually an adaptation that all Northern Gannets have. I learned this from John Chardrine when I met him in Perce. The upper mandible can actually open from the "crack." I believe that it aids them in catching fish. We are currently working at having John join us as our Resident Ornithologist; he specializes in seabirds.

John, do you are to expound?

#2: I have been in contact with Chris Dodds all day today working out the details for three more trips this August. I will be co-leading the middle one. In tomorrow's Bulletin I will let folks know why this year might very well be much better than next year... If anyone is seriously interested, please e-mail me for advance details. The three trips, each limited to only six photographers, will sell out in a flash once the Bulletin hits.

[Michael Castellano]

Impressive work, Arthur, with excellent feather and eye detail. I would be tempted to play around a bit with the levels to richen the tones and bring out even more feather detail. I would do this by increasing the neutral tones and adding some black to the colors white, red, and yellow.

[Gayle Clement]

That eye is absolutely mesmerizing!

[Fabs Forns]

So the crack is like hinge, no?

Stunning close up, loving the light!

[Steve Maxson]

The exposure, sharpness and detail are all excellent. Love the subtle colors you captured in this light. This strikes me as a bold compositional choice - to cut the beak. My own preference would have been to include it (apparently nobody else is bothered by that, however :) ). Regarding the catchlight, I don't have a problem with this one as it is above the midline of the eye. I have commented several times in critiques of other photos that I am generally not a big fan of flash-generated catchlights especially if they are at or below the midline of the eye. In those instances, they do not look natural and scream FLASH when what one is generally trying to achieve is the absence of the flashed look.

[Jim Fenton]

However, there are two things I don't care for...

!) I didn't shoot it and I've never seen one of these beauties in the wild

2) Have to agree with Axel on the cathlkight. This may be one of those images that it better / more natural without it.

[Arthur Morris]

Yes, Fabs, a hinge.

The exposure, sharpness and detail are all excellent. Love the subtle colors you captured in this light. This strikes me as a bold compositional choice - to cut the beak. My own preference would have been to include it (apparently nobody else is bothered by that, however :) ). Regarding the catchlight, I don't have a problem with this one as it is above the midline of the eye. I have commented several times in critiques of other photos that I am generally not a big fan of flash-generated catchlights especially if they are at or below the midline of the eye. In those instances, they do not look natural and scream FLASH when what one is generally trying to achieve is the absence of the flashed look.

I have dozens of full frame head portraits. I put on the extension tube in an effort to capture detail not possible in a wider image. As the highlight is above the centerline I guess that I am off the hook...

[Maxis Gamez]

What makes this image for me are the details. Excellent capture!

[John Chardine]

I'll expound away Artie- you have it correct though, and good observation from Jody originally. Gannets and their relatives in the same order (Pelicans, frigatebirds, tropicbirds etc) have a thinning in the bone at the base of their bill. On Artie's bird it would be where the thin black line runs over the top of the bill in front of the eye. This thinning allows the upper mandible to be moved upwards a little, independently of the lower mandible. The crack allows all this to happen without the plate under the eye moving at all. The plate itself extends the gape of the gannet to well behind the eye. It needs this to grab and eat big fish like mackerel.

Beautiful image Artie. I have some protraits with and without catchlights and the ones with, stand out as being more alive.

[Lance Peters]

I love it as is.

[Nicki Gwynn Jones]

Hi Artie, I vote for the catchlight - it brings the eye alive. I also love your choice of composition - there are so many standard bird portraits out there...
As I looked in wonder at your image one word came to mind - painterly - so I was then fascinated to read your comment.
There is something almost other-worldly about your gannet series - they move me.

[Arthur Morris]

Hi Artie, I vote for the catchlight - it brings the eye alive. I also love your choice of composition - there are so many standard bird portraits out there...
As I looked in wonder at your image one word came to mind - painterly - so I was then fascinated to read your comment.
There is something almost other-worldly about your gannet series - they move me.

:) :) :) Thanks for your kind words Nicki! And the best part is that I have many more completely different gannet images to post.

[Nicki Gwynn Jones]

I can't wait!!

[Blake Shadle]

Artie, your imagination is what makes you who you are. Reading how you feel when you're in a "fabulous photographic situation" shows your passion for what you do. To me this image is a beautiful example of powerful, graphic, composition. Outside the norm, creating tremendous impact. I removed the catchlight, and I prefer to leave it.