It was a cold, clear morning, with temps in the low 20s. The lake at the local bird sanctuary had frozen in sections. The ice was quite thin, and the birds were struggling to walk on it, it kept breaking, dropping them back into the water, and then they had to fight to get out again. This Canada goose had had enough, and finally blasted off for more secure turf. I liked the full up wings and talons on the ice.
It was rather eerie listening to them move across the ice. The ice was so thin that it was constantly giving off sharp pinging noises as it cracked. As someone who fell through the ice as a boy, it wasn't a pleasant sound to me.
D700 850mm EFL f/7.1 1/1600s ISO 640 Manual Gitzo/Wimberley
Lovely details, exposure and pose. Love the HA and the raised foot.
If anything, I would be tempted to remove or tone down the oof objects in the fg by the birds feet.
Well done. Thanks.
Love the excellent detail, maximally extended wings, and nice head angle. Exposure looks perfect. You almost miss the fact that the bird is standing on ice.
This is a fantastic takeoff shot!
The bird is perfect. One leg down with fully visible leg up and the wings being up is great. You really get a sense of the bird working hard to get up into the air.
Love how he/she turned the head slightly toward you!! Must be checking out that Nikon equipment. The slight sheen on the wings is pretty cool. Wonderful detail, sharp and a great pose.
Randy, loved the details. Your exposure is perfect...I find these very hard to expose. As you said, the wing position is excellent and ice makes it very unique. The small reflection helps in conveying its ice that the bird is standing on.
Thanks everyone for your input.
I always enjoy the winter photography (other than the freezing bit) because of the different looks you get and the giant fill reflector that snow and ice can provide.