Circle of Life

[Brian Sump]

Was blessed to capture this moment of Avocets mating. I captured one a year ago as well and must say, the pre- and post engagement dance is just incredible to watch. Hope everyone gets to witness it at some point.

Canon R5
840mm + 1.6x crop mode
Handheld
ISO 1000
1/4000
f8

LR and PS, DN. Mild blending of two lighter bkg spots and cloned two awol dust specs.

[Kurt Bowman]

Great techs as usual and love the low angle....especially with this since the female almost submerges herself. Great placement in the frame as well. Very nice work Brian!

[Krishna Prasad kotti]

Very nice Head angles on both birds. I would have shot it a bit wider (personal choice).
Very nice low angle.

TFS

[annmpacheco]

What a lovely image Brian. If you have more canvas i'd say use it as it feels cramped. I love the females bill atop of the water and the HA of both birds who are terrifically in focus and sharp! just wonderful, plz provide a selfie video, demo of the pre and post...lol

[gail bisson]

I have seen this before and it is just as good now as the first time I saw it.
Love the super low POV, gorgeous light and perfect pose on both avocets.
I am Ok with the comp as is.
I love the drops of water dripping off the toes,
Gail

[Brian Sump]

Very nice Head angles on both birds. I would have shot it a bit wider (personal choice).
Very nice low angle.

TFS

What a lovely image Brian. If you have more canvas i'd say use it as it feels cramped. I love the females bill atop of the water and the HA of both birds who are terrifically in focus and sharp! just wonderful, plz provide a selfie video, demo of the pre and post...lol

Okay, interesting suggestion thank you. I og cropped at 5x7 but here is one at 2x3 with a very slight crop for balance (bottom is the bottom). Otherwise I am almost out of canvas.

Ann, LOL.... ;-)

[Brian Sump]

I have seen this before and it is just as good now as the first time I saw it.
Love the super low POV, gorgeous light and perfect pose on both avocets.
I am Ok with the comp as is.
I love the drops of water dripping off the toes,
Gail

Gail, thank you and glad to hear you liked the original post.

I did take a similar frame this time last year but this is actually a new 2021 frame from last Friday in a slightly different setting :-)

[annmpacheco]

Okay, interesting suggestion thank you. I og cropped at 5x7 but here is one at 2x3 with a very slight crop for balance (bottom is the bottom). Otherwise I am almost out of canvas.

Ann, LOL.... ;-)

Yes I prefer this crop
such a beauty Brian ��

[arash_hazeghi]

I like the low angle and the breeding plumage, I also like how the lower bird's bill is touching the water. I only wish the upper bird's wings were stretched fa bit further. I have similar frames from 10-15 years ago, but none with a brown BG. that makes it nice!

TFS

[Volkan Akgul]

Hi Brian,

muhteşem . Her zaman ki gibi tebrik ederim ...

[Arthur Morris]

Truly superb. The light is spectacular and so is the action. How many frames in the series??? Did you clip any wings??? This one looks quite level to me :) That the females bill is centered in the strip of blue water puts this one way over the top.

much love, a

ps: how much of a crop?

pps: Gilbert?

[Wayne Niz]

What a special post, well done

[Bill Dix]

Amazing, and sublime. Wonderful moment, wonderful light. I prefer the RP.

[John Mack]

Nice title. Looks great all around. Nice low angle,action and light.

[Andreas Liedmann]

Hi Brian ... a super behavior shot .
Very well executed on all counts . Lovely color palette .... love the overall brownish tonality with the various shades of " browns" with the contrasting hint of blue in water and the legs .
Always a great pleasure to look at the "SUMP IQ " .....
Personally I would go for the classy 2x3 ratio .
From the tonal POV ... I might open up slightly the whole range ( gently ) and push the whites that the histogram does meet the edge ( manually with the red and green channel , leaving the " useless " blue alone .

Top notch Brian .... and TFS Andreas

[Brian Sump]

I like the low angle and the breeding plumage, I also like how the lower bird's bill is touching the water. I only wish the upper bird's wings were stretched fa bit further. I have similar frames from 10-15 years ago, but none with a brown BG. that makes it nice!

TFS

Arash, thank you. I have witnessed this act four times and I've never seen the wings come up much further but I bet they do in some cases. This was the highest wing position of the 10 frames or so I captured of the actual act.

Hi Brian,

muhteşem . Her zaman ki gibi tebrik ederim ...

Volkan - teşekkür ederim :-)

Truly superb. The light is spectacular and so is the action. How many frames in the series??? Did you clip any wings??? This one looks quite level to me :) That the females bill is centered in the strip of blue water puts this one way over the top.

much love, a

ps: how much of a crop?

pps: Gilbert?

Artie, that means a lot thank you!

25 frames from the very first where the female tucks her head down and let's the male know, to the final post-mating frame.

This was taken in North Denver actually. Crop was only from 5000 pixels long down to about 4500 pixels long in the 2x3 comp.

What a special post, well done

Wayne, thanks a bunch!

Amazing, and sublime. Wonderful moment, wonderful light. I prefer the RP.

Bill, hearing that from you has tremendous value. Thanks my friend!

Nice title. Looks great all around. Nice low angle,action and light.

John, always grateful for your feedback!

Hi Brian ... a super behavior shot .
Very well executed on all counts . Lovely color palette .... love the overall brownish tonality with the various shades of " browns" with the contrasting hint of blue in water and the legs .
Always a great pleasure to look at the "SUMP IQ " .....
Personally I would go for the classy 2x3 ratio .
From the tonal POV ... I might open up slightly the whole range ( gently ) and push the whites that the histogram does meet the edge ( manually with the red and green channel , leaving the " useless " blue alone .

Top notch Brian .... and TFS Andreas

Lietschi, you are a great friend and have taught me much! Your comments are always highly valued :-)

[Arthur Morris]

Thanks, Bri. Did it start with the male splashing water on her as he walked around her? Did the male do the post-copulatory stroll around the female when they were done?

thanks with love, artie

[Brian Sump]

Thanks, Bri. Did it start with the male splashing water on her as he walked around her? Did the male do the post-copulatory stroll around the female when they were done?

thanks with love, artie

Artie, actually it commenced with the female taking her position. Then the male proceeded with the splashing and mounting.

The aftermath took place as well, with the male cradling her under his wing and pining her bill with his.

[William Dickson]

Late to the party here Brian.....I've got to agree with all the positives above...This is looking real good...My fave part is the females bill along the water...It is so eye catching...I hope you got lots more.

Well done

Will