Peek-A-Boo

[Dennis "Curly" Buchner]

I was setting up photo blinds around my ponds for wood ducks and kingfishers this week as our ice will be going in a hurry with 60 degree temps this week (boy it sure feels good) and migration has started with sand-hills cranes and trumpeter swans going though.

This guy was out in the middle of the pond and heard me shooting off a few frames and came for a look and pop up though the ice surprising the **** out of me. The otter took a couple of sniffs and disappeared.

Canon 1D Mk3, Canon 400mm f/5.6 + 1.4 converter , f/8@1/200, 0 EV, ISO 800, AV mode, monopod

[Sabyasachi Patra]

Dennis,

I can imagine how you would have felt when this fellow appeared. :-)

I would have loved some more sharpness and contrast in the image. The reflection looks like an abstract image.

Cheers,
Sabyasachi

[Dennis "Curly" Buchner]

Here is a little more contrast and sharpening

[Steve Canuel]

I like the way he's breaking through the ice and the reflection of his whiskers reminds me of a diamond. Repost looks better. Looks like it could use a little bit of NR.

[Dennis "Curly" Buchner]

Thanks Peter, Steve and Sabyasachi for your comments they are very helpful. I like your repost Peter. Thanks again for your help. Sometimes when I get too close to the 200k it does some weird things to my images. Hope this is better

[D. Robert Franz]

Great opportunity here and well captured though the file just doesn't seem quite right to me.. Is this heavily cropped? Shouldn't have noise issues with a mk3 at ISO 800....