This little guy was resting one morning in Anhinga just before the sun came up. He was painted with a Nikon D70s using a Nikkor 300mm f/4D, focal length 300mm, aperture priority, matrix metering, at ISO-800, exposure comp. +1.0EV, @ 1/500 sec. - f/4; with flash comp. -1.0EV, and WB set to auto.
Well you got him out in the open for a clean crack at him, you are one up on me! When I was there I saw a couple Night Herons but they were not in a position to get a clean image.
Have to agree with Jimbo here, he needs a eyeball! *lol* You will get red eye (sometimes steel eye) on birds if the flash is strait on them, sometimes if you get it up higher it helps avoid that, at least when I have tried it. Will take a little work in PS to get it back.....although I never have the patience to do that.
A little more room at the right is also a god suggestion. Lower is nice too but Anhinga is not always conducive to doing that from the little experience I have there (once a yr for a few times now). ISO 800 is maybe pushing it for the D70, some noise is creeping in there. You could get away with ISO 400 and 1/250 since the bird is still.
All in all a good effort, keep them coming and have fun at Anhinga! Stop at Roberts for a milk shake on the way back.
Great suggestions given above! If you feel a little more ambitious, I would suggest you try your skills on cloning out the back stick, and reflection (the one that merges with the legs and belly). I think it would help by simplify the whole image.
Contemplation
