Bittern out of the blue

[Richard Pittam]

This Bittern shot out from its roost as a dog walker and companion passed by. I wasn't expecting anything from that direction and it flew at one helluva speed toward me. I just had enough time to make a swift adjustment to +0.3EV, as I had been photographing swans flying by and had still got it on -1.3EV - that'll teach me.

Canon 1D mk3 + 600mm f4 IS + 1.4x tele
Aperture Priority
1/2000 sec @ f7.1
ISO 800
Subject distance 26 metres.

NR to background, Levels to bittern and a bit more to Bittern's head.
Added "extra" sky around edges, as the bird was full frame.

So it's badly lit, in full sun, but hey, I got the shot. :)

All comments welcomed.

Cheers.
Richard

[Rohan Kamath]

Excellent details captured considering the light. Nice wing position giving a good look at upper and under side. Very lucky to see a bittern so close. I'm not a fan of such tight crops usually but since you said this is full frame, I guess there's not much else you can do except add some more canvas.




-Regards,
Rohan
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[Richard Pittam]

Thanks for that Rohan.

I agree, pulling back is best, but in this instance I had no choice - shoot or miss.

Richard

[Randy Stout]

Richard:

Excellent pose, love the feet.

Agree with your self critique. Some plus EC would have been nice, but if you don't have time to change things, push the button and hope for the best.

Cheers

Randy

[Don Lacy]

Hi Richard , Not every day you get a Bittern in flight full frame like this so good job on that. I thought I could bring out a little more detail and lighten the underside of the bird with a technique I call digital flash which is basically using curves and layer mask to lighten specific areas of an image I also added a bit of canvas to the bottom and right side of the image.

[Brendan Dozier]

What a unique bird! Great shot despite being last minute, the repost does help reveal more detail and how did you rebuild those tips?

[Richard Pittam]

how did you rebuild those tips?
Very slowly - I'm still learning that technique. It only needed a tad changing, but it is really tricky to do.

[Pieter de Waal]

Hi Richard , amazing capture at such short notice and very sharp. Would prefer a little more room around the bird and exposure between your OP and the repost. Great work on the wing tips.