This is the most photogenic nest site for a Dipper I have found - underneath an old 19th C bridge in W Wales. I am afraid this image was taken 6 years ago on film, one of the last photographs I shot before going digital. It was taken using a custom HS Flash - three heads set up to duplicate the natural light filtering under the bridge. A rock was placed in the water below the nest, which the parents soon starting using as a final launch pad before flying up to the nest. The camera was situated in a blind built on the bank outside the bridge and was fired manually when the bird took off from the stone.
Camera Nikon F4 with 500mm lens Film Fuji 100 ISO, exp 1/10,000 th. sec (the flash duration) at f16
Transparency scanned with Nikon 4000ED scanner
Alex, neither bird took any notice of the flash whatsoever.
Melvin
Apart from the headturn away from the camera this is excellent Melvin, I wouldn't have wanted a complete headturn towards the camera, as the parent focussing on its nest like this adds to the whole feel of the shot, but a bit more would have made this perfect IMHO. The setting is excuisite the chicks calling for food are soo cool and the pose of the parent is excellent as well, not to mention sharpness and exposure! Very well done!!
Krijn just said it for me, I agree 100%. But also agree that this is one spectacular shot, not easy at all and so greatly executed, pose, ambient, light, detail, comp, all is STUNNING! Congratulations!
Excellent natural history image....unlike a lot of high-speed flash photographs the light is very well balanced here. Love your composition and DOF and besides from the headturn this is just an amazing capture...it just needed a slightly more turn, as that would bring life to the parents eye.
As above. Spectacular setting but over-sharpened. You gotta hate film.
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.
Check out the new SONY e-Guide and videos that I did with Patrick Sparkman here. Ten percent discount for BPN members,
European Dipper bringing food to youngsters
Reply With Quote
