STA portrait

[Robert O'Toole]

Short-tailed Albatross or Steller's Albatross portrait

NIKON D700 and 500VR with 1.7X, 1/1250 sec @8, Manual mode, hand held and braced, ISO: 1250, 51 point 3D AF. Image copyright 2010; Robert OToole/Robert OToole Photography. Small crop off the top and bottom only.

This image was made hand held and braced shooting from the drivers seat of a golf cart and around Dr. Lou Newman in the passenger seat. I was actually shooting from inside but leaning outside and through the front windscreen that I folded down. Due to the limits in place to protect this bird we were not allowed to leave our golf carts. We only spent a short time photographing the bird so we had to be quick to make our images.

Considering the above you can imagine how lucky I feel to be able to come home with this kind of image.

This is one of my favorite images made during my trip co-leading Arthur Morris' Midway IPT. This was always been a dream bird for me and I was looking forward to just seeing one. I cant believe we were able to make images like this.
I feel lucky, and I have to say thanks again Artie! I highly recommend Artie's Midway IPT to anyone that loves Laysan or Short-tailed Albatross or White Terns, or Tropic Birds or ..... I hope I can co-lead this IPT again.

Hope images like this haven't already been shared by others on the trip. For more favorites from the trip see a gallery on new site (in beta form right now)

http://www.robertotoole.com/galleries/midway/

Thanks for looking, all comments welcome.

Robert

[Judy Lynn Malloch]

What an amazing looking bird. Wonderful portrait and excellent detail. He almost does not look real with the soft colors and almost waxy look. Many thanks Robert for sharing this image with us.

[Kaustubh Deshpande]

Robert, big fan of your work. This one is gorgeous. What I like the most is how you have brought out the texture of the bill. And the little reflection in the eye goes a long way. Thx for sharing.

[Robert O'Toole]

Hi Judy Lynn

Hello Kaustubh

Thanks for taking time to comment.

[Grace Scalzo]

Wonderful, Robert. I love the variety of color in this image. A stunning subject, perfectly photographed. Thanks for sharing it.

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hey Robert,
Very nicely done....sweet pose and BG....considering the other stuff (thanks for filling us in on that).....even more impressive! Those soft colors contrasting with the darker hair really make this stand out!

[Juan Carlos Vindas]

Very beautiful portrait and bird. Love the combination of colors.

[Harshad Barve]

I am amazed to see so much of details in 200kb image , awesome image , loved the way you have photographed this beauty
TFS