Cape Petrel

[Brian Wong]

Cape Petrel

This image was made while on deck, sailing approx. 15-20 knots, through Drake's Passage to Antarctica.
Weather was moderate seas, with stiff breeze. 2 months ago.

EOS 40D, 70-200/2.8 @200mm, 1.4x TC, Better Beamer/Flash @-1EV
1/2000, f/4.5, ISO 400, handheld, manual exposure

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[Jim Neiger]

Well done, Brian! Difficult conditions are manageble with the right tools and technique. You demonstrated that here. Nice composition too.

Do you think the flash had any effect at these settings? How far away do you think the bird was?

[George DeCamp]

Beautiful image, love the pose, good details, sharpness you captured...very well done! Some slight halo creeping in from sharpening maybe?

Must have been a fantastic voyage, I am envious of that trip!!! :)

[Maxis Gamez]

Hi Brian,

Love the composition and crop. You did well with the exposure and like Jim said, not an easy capture!

[Brian Wong]

Thanks so much Jim!

Regarding the flash ... I "think" so, but I'm not sure ... as the sun was overhead, it would seem that the underside blacks probably would have been detailess black. In this image, the bird did come close (filled the frame), so it was nice not having to much S/H adjustments down there. I'm telling myself that the "bright" feathers are because of the fill flash. The flash/Better Beamer also made a catch light, which I think helped me out with the dark head/dark eye problem. But yes ... I really don't know how effective it really is at 1/2000.

One of the funniest response from a guest onboard was that they thought I had a radar!

I do have to say that your workshops have given me a great foundation for things to practice and to work on. That, plus I am learning so much here, and so quickly ... it is amazing! Terrific stuff!

[Brian Wong]

Thanks for the encouragements George and Maxis!

One of the problems on this board is that I seem to loose my place too quickly. Maybe I don't have the right settings.

I will keep on working on those halos!

[Alfred Forns]

Hi Brian Can only add that I don't think the flash had any bearing on the image At 1/2000 sec the effective output was reduced by being so high over the sync speed At 500 you would loose 1/2 the power

If you need fill flash I would not go over 1/500 It is a matter of balancing what will give you the most bank for your buck Excellent capture !!!

[Axel Hildebrandt]

I like seabirds a lot and haven't seen this species before. Thanks for sharing. How big is this bird?

[Krijn Trimbos]

Gorgeously exposed, and love the look into the camera. Great shot!

[Chris van Rooyen]

Hi Brian, great exposure and sharpness 10/10. Personally I think the flash did make a difference. I have on occasion used my Mk II with the Better Beamer and my 550 EX flash set on High Speed to photograph birds in flight. I see you were using the 70-200mm and you say the bird filled the frame, which means it must have been very close.

[Arthur Morris]

Having been there, I can appreciate how good this image is. And yes, when working at fast shutter speeds with a Better Beamer (and High Speed Synch) the flash can be effective even at a distance. Best to use Manual Flash at 1:1 and check to see that there are no flashing highlights. Best to limit shutter speeds to less than 1/1000 sec.

later and love, artie

[Brian Wong]

I like seabirds a lot and haven't seen this species before. Thanks for sharing. How big is this bird?

I want to thank you all for your suggestions for improvement.

Hi Artie, Chris, and Alfred!
Thank you also for all the great advice on using the flash, and the flash extender. I will keep practicing as these are great advice to work with!

Hi Axel!
The Cape Petrel apparently is pretty common ... following ships looking for food. They are not a very large bird. The wingspan is approximately 1.5 ft (50cm).