Belted Kingfisher Breakfast

[Doug Brown]

I photographed this Belted Kingfisher trying to swallow breakfast a couple of weekends ago. I was shooting in burst mode with a Mark IV at 10 fps, but this was the only frame in which both bird and fish had just the right angle. It would have been nice to capture this action on a cool perch, but these guys eat where they eat. I was just happy to get to watch.



Canon 1D Mark IV, 600mm, f/7.1, 1/2000, ISO 640, manual exposure, hand held

[Richard Unsworth]

A totally amazing/wonderful wildlife action shot!

No critique will leave that to others but I love this.

Rich

[Scott Frye]

Really nice behavorial shot -- kingfishers are tough enough to get in range -- I would loved to have been there --

[Randy Stout]

Doug:

Great action here, and the combined head angles do really help us connect with the image.
The light is harsh with high contrast, but the exposure is very good. i suspect you have reduced the contrast some already, but if not, that might be an option.
The action is so centered on the fish and the front of the bird, I wonder if a tighter crop from both sides, even sacrificing some of the birds tail, might work?

I have had almost no luck with kingfishers, so always appreciate seeing images with them.

cheers

Randy

[Arthur Morris]

That is one sick fish; any clues as to the species or native or not? You did everything perfectly and came up with a good EXP and the only two head positions that would work but with the harsh light and the dirt and grass BKGR this one will not be winning any beauty contests :)

[allanrube]

I love this one simply because of the action you caught. As Artie implies, you would not want a 20 by 30 of this hanging in your grand daughter's bedroom :p but, well there are many of us envious of any kingfisher shot.

[Dan Brown]

That is one sick fish; any clues as to the species or native or not? You did everything perfectly and came up with a good EXP and the only two head positions that would work but with the harsh light and the dirt and grass BKGR this one will not be winning any beauty contests :)

Cool capture Doug! Wish for less harsh lighting but the action is good. The fish is a hybrid goldfish, probably Shubunkin, which is a commonly kept pond goldfish type.

[Doug Brown]

Thanks for the ID of the fish Dan. The subject of this photo is contrasty, but I don't think the light is harsh. It was shot at 8:30 am, and the sun was fairly low in the sky (just look at the long shadow of the bird). This was as close as I've ever been to a KF, and it didn't seem to mind me in the least. :)

[Nico Steenberg]

Great behavior captured. Both is sharp and the low angle adds to shot TFS

[Haim Ziv]

Wow!! this is a killer shot!!

[Michael Bertelsen]

Great capture Doug, As far as Artie's question, I think the fish is from the goldfish family. But I'm not certain.

Michael Bertelsen

[Dan Brown]

Thanks for the ID of the fish Dan. The subject of this photo is contrasty, but I don't think the light is harsh. It was shot at 8:30 am, and the sun was fairly low in the sky (just look at the long shadow of the bird). This was as close as I've ever been to a KF, and it didn't seem to mind me in the least. :)

I guess I'm not really sure what "harsh light" is. I have posted images that were considered shot in harsh light which were shot in exactly the conditions that you describe. I think that your term "contrasty" is probably better!

[Trivedi Vatsal]

Superb image! Perfect timing! Looks like the warrior has got his trophy after battle & showing it to others..... :)

[Arthur Morris]

I guess I'm not really sure what "harsh light" is. I have posted images that were considered shot in harsh light which were shot in exactly the conditions that you describe. I think that your term "contrasty" is probably better!

Hey Dan. For me harsh light is in part indicated by a strong, nearly straight down shadow (present in this image) and yes, lots of contrast, which for me is the difference in tonality between sunlit highlights and shaded dark areas. Lots of that here. Somebody once said that the definition of good light is when the shadow is at least three times as long as the subject. If we could see the whole shadow here it would be about as long as the bird and the fish combined.

Thanks for the fish-info. I wanted to make sure that it was not a native fish.

[Arthur Morris]

Thanks for the ID of the fish Dan. The subject of this photo is contrasty, but I don't think the light is harsh. It was shot at 8:30 am, and the sun was fairly low in the sky (just look at the long shadow of the bird). This was as close as I've ever been to a KF, and it didn't seem to mind me in the least. :)

We will need to agree to disagree on the harsh light here :) (See my comments in Pane #14; I missed your earlier response.) At 8:30 on a clear day in NM the light can be pretty harsh by my standards; the sun gets up really fast there or so it seems. Hope to see you at Bosque this year.

[Andrew Merwin]

Doug
I like this shot a lot. I have always been unlucky with kingfishers so I'm jealous of your success. I think the fish makes it especially good. I think the harsh light comments are a result of the altitude. Without 2800 ft. of atmosphere to attenuate the light it does seem to get contrasty very quickly. At least that is my experience here in MT where I usually shoot at 3000+ ft. I do like the environment also.

[Arthur Morris]

Excellent point Andrew. TFS your knowledge.