Galapagos #4: Start of a Dive

[Arthur Morris]

Photographing a Blue-footed Booby feeding spree is a difficult chore for a bird photographer. What lens? What framing? What shutter speed; sharp or blur? Will it continue? Will they dive in the same spot again or a half mile to either side? Yikes. In addition, with the other photographers trying their best to get images you never know when somebody's hat or back will appear in your viewfinder at the wrong time... The action is frantic.

For this one the birds were diving right in front of us so I grabbed the 400 DO with a Mark IV on it. ISO 640. I metered the pretty much white sky and added two full stops: 1/1000 sec. at f/5.6. The central sensor was right on the eye in the original. This is a small crop. The BKGR was smoothed out using a 60% Clone Stamp after I got rid of some whitewash on the cliffs.

From a panga (Zodiac) at Punta Vincente Roca, Isabella.

Don't be shy; all comments welcome.

[Arthur Morris]

ps: Do check out the daily Galapagos journal blog posts :)

[Kiran Poonacha]

Beautiful one Guru.. would have love to see larger pic of this to enjoy it better.. loved the moment frozen and the also the way the bird pops out.. interesting BG too... nicely done guru..

[Nick Palmieri]

Those are some funcky looking birds, I thought the Terns had some crazy flight patterns. Your eye certainly is pulled to the head/eye of the bird, very sharp considering it was from a Zodiac. The wings look crazy but that is the bird not the photograph. Must have been a great trip!

[Harshad Barve]

Excellent sharpness considering Panga Guruji , 400 DO looks like one awesome tool. Lovely head and wing position
TFS

[Joe Senzatimore]

What a crazy pose. It looks like it might hurt!!!!! fine image considering all the tough conditions. love the detail and eye contact. i think without the eye contact it might not be as strong as it is.

[James Salywoda]

Excellent Shot! The position you captured the bird in as it has spotted its meal really shows the maneuverability these birds have that you wouldn't see without freezing it. Well Done!

[Ken Watkins]

What a crazy pose. It looks like it might hurt!!!!! fine image considering all the tough conditions. love the detail and eye contact. i think without the eye contact it might not be as strong as it is.

This would have been much the same as my comments, if I had found this a little earlier:)

[Nicki Gwynn Jones]

Ditto the above :D

[Arthur Morris]

Thanks all. Joe, I think that they hit the water at about 65 mph....

[Grace Scalzo]

He (or she) looks so twisted. Just a superb capture in what sounds like extremely difficult conditions. Really enjoying your blog.

[Gal Shon]

The pose and eye contact make it for me in this one, and what makes this image a real gem.
If you don't mind, I would love to see a version without smoothing the BG.

[Arthur Morris]

This is the full frame original with the highlights recovered.

[Aidan Briggs]

Hey Artie, I love that pose, and the intense look on the bird's face. Great exposure, and diffused light. BG isn't my favorite, but it isn't bad either.

[Gal Shon]

Thanks,
For big prints I would leave the BG as is.
For the web the smooth version looks better.

[Arthur Morris]

YAW. Are you saying that you would leave all the whitewash?

[Gal Shon]

Yes, I think I would. but as I said, on big prints.
since the BG is not ideal, I would prefer making the BG a part of the image (I hope I explain myself the right way) thanks to the whitewash we can see / imagine what the face of the cliff look like, it adds depth to the image.

[Bill Dix]

Amazing dive pose with great eye contact. I can attest to the speed at which these guys dive. Were it mine, given the nature of the bg I might have smoothed it even more, but that's personal preference.

[Arthur Morris]

Yes, I think I would. but as I said, on big prints. Ssince the BG is not ideal, I would prefer making the BG a part of the image (I hope I explain myself the right way) thanks to the whitewash we can see / imagine what the face of the cliff look like, it adds depth to the image.

Had the bird been back in the frame more, I think that I would agree. In fact, I am not even sure that the whitewash is whitewash; on a second glance it looks like some reflective rock. But the bird is too close to it in the original frame and the image is too much center balance with the lighter rocks left in (if I am making sense). So, I would eliminate the light area for both web and large prints. Different strokes :)

[Wilson Hum]

Congrats on freezing the bird on its quick descent into the water. I like the final image with the white in the background removed and the smoothing as well. Looks like the bird is falling backwards at this point (not knowing just how they fall or turn on the way down) so you captured it in a dynamic pose. This is the type of image that would have even more impact when viewed in a large print. I'm sure some prefer a cleaner background but that's the habitat from which it launches itself.

[Arthur Morris]

Wilson, See my comments just above yours :)