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Thread: Black Skimmer

  1. #1
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    Default Black Skimmer

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    Captured this incoming display at Nickerson Beach Aug. 2, as this Black Skimmer was letting know it had a nearby family. C&C welcome.

    D500, 500PF, 1/2500s, f 7.1, ISO 2000, Handheld.

    Geoffrey




    http://500px.com/geoffreymontagu
    Last edited by Geoffrey Montagu; 08-16-2019 at 12:11 PM.

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    Beautiful shot, Geoffrey! I love the view of the bill and the wing position is great! In terms of composition, for these kinds of shots I prefer having the bird perfectly symmetrical in the frame as opposed to being slightly offset from the center as is the case here, so I'd take a bit off the LHS or add room to the RHS. A bit of NR on the belly and the wings would help this shot too, I think. Awesome work on getting the eye sharp though, takes a lot of skill.

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    Lifetime Member gail bisson's Avatar
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    Tack sharp!! I would be thrilled to have this in my files.
    Gail

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    BPN Member Bill Dix's Avatar
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    Great head-on shot, in nice soft light. It took nerves of steel to hold your position as the Skimmer veered off only at the last second. Is this the one you were shooting in the image I posted on the Just For Fun forum? http://www.birdphotographers.net/for...ty-with-no-pay

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    This is not an easy shot to get, so big props on it! The focus point is exactly where it should be, and you offer a great view of how thin that beak actually is. I agree on trying to make the frame
    a bit more symmetrical, but that's relatively minor in the larger and dramatic context of this image. You could also apply a bit more NR on the BG is so desired.

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    Lifetime Member Colin Driscoll's Avatar
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    That beak is an engineering marvel! So unexpectedly narrow compared to when seen from the side, but makes sense reducing drag. Amazing that they can pick up fish. Lovely shot TFS.

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    Outstanding! Tack sharp right where it needs to be. Dead-on head-on. Love the eyes. Great capture!

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    Excellent Shot. Everything looks good to me.

    TFS

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    Quote Originally Posted by Bill Dix View Post
    Great head-on shot, in nice soft light. It took nerves of steel to hold your position as the Skimmer veered off only at the last second. Is this the one you were shooting in the image I posted on the Just For Fun forum? http://www.birdphotographers.net/for...ty-with-no-pay
    Thanks Bill. As close as they flew, I thought the Common Terns flew even closer and had a higher volume in their squawk, and a bit more intimidating. This may well have been the one, but I have a number of head on images, so not sure. Both your images are very cool, and I wished I had gotten a head on with a fish.

    Geoffrey




    http://500px.com/geoffreymontagu

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    Excellent timing on your focus point. Beautiful image!

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    Super Moderator Daniel Cadieux's Avatar
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    Very cool! Yes, some subtle NR is an option, but other than that this is pretty fantastic.

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    This is fantastic Geoffrey, well done, congrats. Wonderful sharpness, lovely light, and one should "duck" when viewing!

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    Thanks all. It was a great deal of fun capturing this image, albeit a little disconcerting at times only proving it works.

    Geoffrey




    http://500px.com/geoffreymontagu

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    Publisher Arthur Morris's Avatar
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    Image and 500 PF rock. This one needs a bit of CW rotation. Use the Ruler Tool on the bottom of each eye-skin and then go Image> Rotate > Arbitrary.

    with love, artie
    BIRDS AS ART Blog: great info and lessons, lots of images with our legendary BAA educational Captions; we will not sell you junk. 30+ years of long lens experience/e-mail with gear questions.

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    Thanks Artie.


    Geoffrey




    http://500px.com/geoffreymontagu

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    Publisher Arthur Morris's Avatar
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    You are welcome, Geoff. YAW Geoff. I use that so often that I have created a shortcut for Image > Rotate > Arbitrary: Command + Backslash.

    with love, a
    BIRDS AS ART Blog: great info and lessons, lots of images with our legendary BAA educational Captions; we will not sell you junk. 30+ years of long lens experience/e-mail with gear questions.

    BIRDS AS ART Online Store: we will not sell you junk. 35 years of long lens experience. Please e-mail with gear questions.

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