11 foot wingspan

[Simon Bennett]

Northern Royal Albatross photographed at Kaikoura, New Zealand.

Canon 40D, EF 70-200, f/4 IS @106 mm, handheld, ISO 400, 1/1000, f/8, ec -2/3. Cropped for composition and to correct tilt. A couple of prominent road cuttings disguised on mountains at background.

[Axel Hildebrandt]

Great pose, exposure control and details. The BG adds to it. I would love to see an albatross sometime.

[Doug Brown]

Really cool image Simon! I've seen a captive albatross but never one in the wild, much less in flight. Congrats!

[Nagesh Mula]

Its a beautiful picture and nicely exposed.

[Krijn Trimbos]

Ok this just makes me green of envy!! Love the BG, the gliding wingposition, the sharpness/DOF and the headturn. Shot of a lifetime!

[Jim Fenton]

I'd love to have the opportunity to photograpgh these beauties.

The only think I might have done differently is to have a bit more contrast (just a tad) on the background and the water.

[John Chardine]

Simon- I have to say this is one of the best albatross images I have ever seen. The warmly lit bird against the darker BG make it for me. Also the comp and the sharpness are right on. Congratulations.

[Daniel Cadieux]

This is very impressive Simon! I love the careful crop, image looks very good in all regards.

[Keith Bauer]

Very cool image. Love that big full wing spread. Nice image.

[Indranil Sircar]

Outstanding capture, Simon. Love the pose and wing spread.

[Dean Ingwersen]

:eek: OMG...that is awesome Simon. I have to agree with John, that is one of the best albatross images I've seen. Great pose, composition, and exposure control. You totally cleaned up in NZ!!

[Tony Whitehead]

Great job, Simon. Seeing these birds in flight in close proximity is a fantastic experience and Kaikoura is THE place for albatross images and a 70-200 is all you need. In winter the mountains in the BG can have snow on them which is nice. You have done well on this image - I especially like how the light is showing the aerofoil curve of the wings. I'm really enjoying your NZ images.

[Bryan Erb]

Awesome capture, love the pose, lighting, and what a wing span!

[Jonathan Michael Ashton]

WOW absolutely spell binding, I love the light and the composition, one of the most impressive images I have seen.

Jon

[Chris van Rooyen]

Great use of shorter focal length to give additional DoF - gives a fantastic sense of place!

[Stu Bowie]

The albatross pops from the BG nicely, and this is super sharp. Great image Simon.

[Juan Aragonés]

Superb image Simon, fantastic light, exposure job and composition. Terrific species