Well, not my first Anhinga I've ever photographed, but the first I even liked vaguely well enough to post....
It was on the Hillsborough River this morning - I think about 10:00 this morning (the timestamp on the file is 10:01 9/6/08 PM...???). The light was already quite harsh.
The aperture was as wide as my lens will allow - therefore, I blurred the background more using a quick mask and Gaussian Blur in Photoshop.
One day I'll win the lottery and get faster lenses.... :)
Stats:
Nikon D80
70-300 VR lens @ 200mm
ISO 800
1/800 sec @ f/5.3
Handheld from my drifting kayak.....
Hi Amy,
Agree with Jackie - very impressive effort whilst in charge of a kayak...!!
The harsh lighting doesn't really bother me so much as it gives the bird a pretty sheen. I find the branch that dissects the bird's right wing distracting and wonder whether it could be cloned out?? Perhaps you could darken the perch a little,
Very pretty pose!
Regards,
Nicki
Hi Amy,
I like your pano crop, it works very well here. You compose very well from a little boat...The light is a bit harsh; but hey, under these conditions, you deserve a medal. If you can, I would suggest in cloning out the branch thats pinching his feathers to the right. You can even reconstruct that portion of the wing. Also I would dodge (lighten up) the tree trunk about 15% Very good capture...looking forward to your next one...:cool:
Hi Amy I think this is the best image you could have made from your position !!! Particularly like how you waited for the perfect head position. Preening birds need to have the head parallel to the film plane to look good. Excellent !!!
Thanks for the comments, everyone. It's always a gamble trying to shoot from the kayak. I'm constantly going thru heavy shade or bright light, changing settings... Sometimes I can find a suitable place to beach the kayak without scaring my subject away, or sometimes, I just have to paddle upstream and drift back down a few times, hoping I haven't been flapping around too much. BUT, that's where all the birdies seem to be.
I kind of liked the way the feather bends on the branch (though the branch is rather bright, I'll tone it down). I had kind of a "oh - look how the feather bends - interesting..." reaction. But I guess it isn't quite pristine. I'll bring down the branch and see how it goes!
My first Anhinga
